'I'm proud': Rivera says goodbye to Carolinas, vows to coach again

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ron Rivera wrapped up his news conference Wednesday morning, where he spoke candidly and emotionally about his nine-year stint as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, by holding up two T-shirts.

The first read, "MISSED OPPORTUNITIES" -- a self-aware joke at his own expense. The second, simply said, "THANK YOU."

Owner David Tepper fired the longtime coach on Tuesday after four straight losses left the Panthers (5-7) out of serious playoff contention for the third time in four seasons.

[RELATED: Ron Rivera fired after 9 seasons as Panthers head coach]

Channel 9 reporter Gina Esposito attended the press conference at Bank of America Stadium, describing the atmosphere in the room as emotional at times and humorous during others. But throughout the 30 minutes he was at the podium, Rivera was real.

He began by telling reporters that the news of him leaving after nine seasons with the Panthers really began to sink in on Wednesday morning.

The 57-year-old Rivera opened his news conference by adamantly defending his accomplishments in his nine seasons in Carolina, referencing the Panthers' three straight NFC South championships from 2013-15. He said he was "tired" of hearing that Carolina had never had back-to-back winning seasons.

"Listen to this: I took over a 2-14 team and won back-to-back-to-back NFC South division titles," Rivera said. "Three in a row, OK? I want to make sure we're straight on that. I get tired of hearing we couldn't win two years in a row. No, we won three years in a row, so let's get that straight. And we were the first team in the NFC South to do it, so I'm pretty doggone proud of that."

(WATCH BELOW: Ron Rivera reflects on his nine seasons as Panthers' head coach)

He also said he planned to keep coaching and wasn't prepared to take a break.

"I've already got four weeks off," he joked, getting a laugh. "My intent is to coach again -- I love coaching. I do believe I will get another opportunity, and I will coach again."

Rivera won NFL Coach of the Year awards in 2013 and 2015. He said that the best coaching job he did though was in 2014, when the Panthers started 3-8-1, but made the playoffs after winning four straight games, and then won a playoff game.

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A theme throughout the farewell speech was how proud the winningest coach in Panthers' history was -- on the field, but more importantly, off it.

"Nine seasons … I know I handled those things with as much grace as I could. Your trust in me as your head coach has never wavered and I thank you for that," Rivera said.

When Tepper announced on Tuesday that Rivera would be leaving, he said the reason he made the decision with four games remaining in the season was that he wanted to give Rivera the respect of letting him know now and give the franchise time to look for his replacement.

"Sometimes you just have to bring in fresh blood to change the culture," Tepper said Tuesday. "Because it can't be done otherwise."

Rivera was a coach with a defensive background, and Tepper said the NFL has implemented rules that favor the offense. The owner said that benefits teams with a head coach that has an offensive background.

"That's why you're having more people go that way," said Tepper, who bought the Panthers in 2018 and did not hire Rivera, who was already in place. "I think you have a lot of people on that side accepting the more modern processes."

[ALSO READ: Run defense continues to haunt Rivera's struggling Panthers]

Carolina went 12-16 since Tepper bought the franchise. Still, the timing of the decision caught Rivera off guard.

"I was surprised. If anything, I thought it would happen at the end of the season, to be honest with you," he said. "I know he had talked about doing some things different. I get that. At the end of the day, when you lose football games and you have a chance to win them, that is a tough pill to swallow."

Rivera said he believes the team's struggles the past two seasons are directly tied to quarterback Cam Newton's injuries. Newton struggled through shoulder problems in the second half of last season and played only two games this season because of a foot issue, which reportedly will require surgery.

"The biggest thing that contributed to our long-term mediocrity the last two seasons is that we didn't have our quarterback situation settled," Rivera said. ".... Our problems didn't start until when? Until our quarterback got hurt."

[Reports: Panthers QB Newton to undergo surgery on season-ending foot injury]

Rivera spoke at length about the Carolina Panthers community and appreciated all the love shown to him and his family.

"Thank you for allowing myself and Stephanie to get to know you," he said. "Many of you have reached out to let us know you care. The southern hospitality is heartwarming."

At the podium, Rivera was a class act. Before a reporter could ask him about his biggest regret, he offered it unsolicited: not winning Super Bowl 50 against Denver.

He mentioned he sometimes took flack for having his wife and daughter around the team. His wife, Stephanie, was in the crowd Wednesday morning, wiping away tears as she listened to her husband reflect on their time in the Queen City.

Rivera said it was important for him to have his family with him at many events because he wanted to be a role model to his players, to show them how a man should act with his wife and family supporting you through such events.

"We will have great and fond memories of our time here with the Panthers," Rivera said before walking out the door. "We came in and did the best we could, and I hope we left it a better place."

He leaves with a 73-61-1 record, more wins than any Panthers coach.

Later Wednesday afternoon, Channel 9 spoke with current players on the roster about their head coach being fired.

"I think I speak for everybody (in this locker room), we wish we could have won some more games for him," said star running back Christian McCaffrey.

Eric Ried said, "I spoke to (Rivera) and all the coaches. He told me I changed his mind about what he thought about me. What I was doing with the protests."

Olsen said Wednesday, "By no means was this a one-man failure. We all have our hand in the cookie jar."

Tepper said he'll form an in-house committee to lead the coaching search, which will commence immediately.

It does not appear he's in the market for a college head coach, talking about how difficult the transition to the NFL level can be. He also said he wants a coach who will try new things, but if they don't work is willing to acknowledge the mistake and fix the problem.

"You want to be successful? I don't care what you do, admit when you do things wrong," Tepper said. "Fix what you do and keep doing the things you do right. It's not that hard. What's hard is for people to admit that they've made a mistake."

Rivera will be replaced during the next four games by Perry Fewell, who was the team's secondary coach.

In addition to a new coach, Tepper said he'll be hiring an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations to aid current GM Marty Hurney, whose job appears safe for now. Tepper lauded Hurney's ability to scout college players.

As for Rivera, he said it's time for another coaching challenge.

"I'm going to be honest with you," he said with a smile, "I'm kind of excited."

(Watch the video below as Channel 9's Gina Esposito breaks down what Tepper may be looking for in a new head coach and where Rivera could go next)

Cox Media Group