'Starting a New Chapter': Coach Ron Rivera Sounds Off On Commanders Change

Head coach Ron Rivera is about to embark on his third season in Washington, and his first as the coach of the Commanders after the franchise officially changed its name Wednesday.

Rivera, who was hired by the franchise in January 2020, has worked closely alongside owner Dan Snyder and president Jason Wright in terms of finding a new identity for the team and transition from the Redskins to the Football Team and now to the Commanders.

Rivera joined "CBS This Morning" with Gayle King Wednesday morning to talk about the change and why the franchise ultimately went in this direction.

"We're excited that we're really starting a new chapter," Rivera said.

The head coach also said that over 30,000 people sent in name suggestions to the team, but legal and logistical challenges negated some of those ideas.

Rivera also talked about that despite looking to start a new chapter for the franchise, that there is an effort being made to honor the past achievements previous players and teams have made.

"We're trying to step away from all the things that happened in the past," Rivera said. "But we're also trying to honor what has happened in the past with the world championships and Super Bowls that they have won."

Rivera also talked about his reasons why he likes the Commanders as a name and what he hopes it will contribute to the franchise's winning culture it is trying to build.

"When we started talking about 'Commanders,' my first thought was about leaders," Rivera said. "In today's world, we seem to have a lack of true leadership and we need people to step forward."

Now, Rivera has the task to "command" his football team forward into a new chapter.