#Ron Rivera isn’t ready to have the Redskins name conversation yet

Ron Rivera was more than willing to join the Washington Redskins organization, becoming the first coach hired in the NFL’s offseason coaching carousel on the first day of 2020.

However, it appears the former Panthers coach is less willing to have the tough conversations that go along with being a part of the franchise.

Rivera appeared on the McNeil and Parkins Show on 670 The Score Monday, and was asked whether it was the time to change the team’s controversial name that some find offensive to the Native Americans.

In football terms, his answer was akin to a punt, saying it should be “a discussion for another time.”

“It’s all about the moment and the timing,” he said. “But I’m just somebody that’s from a different era when football wasn’t such a big part of the political scene. That’s one of the tough things, too, is I’ve always wanted to keep that separate.

“People have wanted me to get in politics while I’m coaching and I keep telling them, ‘It’s not for me to get up there and influence people.’ I have my beliefs, I know what I think, I support the movements, support the players. I believe in what they’re doing. There are certain elements to certain things. It’s all about the timing and the best time to discuss those things.”

Talk about renaming the team and changing its logo has reignited over the past few weeks in wake of national protests against institutional racism and police brutality. The NFL has dipped its toes into the conversation, with Roger Goodell saying he would support a team if it signed Colin Kaepernick.

Rivera sent a team-wide email after an internal town hall meeting on race, according to Pro Football Talk, saying it was “only the beginning and we still want to hear your suggestions on how we as an organization can take action in the fight against social injustice and police brutality.” He also said he would support any of his players who knelt during the national anthem.

The team recently took down a statue of founder George Preston Marshall, who was the last NFL owner to integrate his roster and once said he wouldn’t have black players on his roster until there were white players on the Harlem Globetrotters.