Ron Rivera: Release of Derrius Guice was 'tough but necessary'

Releasing Derrius Guice was a tough decision for the Washington Football Team, but Ron Rivera believes it was a necessary one. 

Washington released Guice on Friday, which was the same day he was arrested on three counts of domestic violence that occurred earlier this year. 

"Anytime you have to release a very talented player it's always a tough decision," Rivera said about the situation, according to ESPN's John Keim. "We take those allegations very, very seriously and we had to make a decision. I talked to [Washington's] players yesterday that I made a decision I believe was in the best interest of our organization and if it was the right decision we'll benefit from it and if not it will be on me. I will take full responsibility going forward to make sure we do things the right way."

Washington selected Guice in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he was a cause for concern at that time due to questions about his character. 

The 23-year-old played just five games in two seasons for Washington due to multiple knee injuries. As a result of those injuries, the organization deemed him unreliable and added multiple running backs this offseason.

Washington heads into the 2020 campaign with Adrian Peterson, Peyton Barber, Antonio Gibson, Bryce Love and J.D. McKissic. While Guice is gone, Peterson always was expected to take on most of the workload in 2020. 

The team begins the 2020 campaign against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 13, and they're much better off this season than the last.