They call him Riverboat Ron for a reason. But Panthers coach Ron Rivera doesn't see any reward from players riding hoverboards.
All he sees is another way to get injured. So the coach has dropped the hammer: None of his players are allowed to ride those confounded contraptions, especially at team facilities.
The rule was revealed Monday, one day after the Panthers' win over the Seahawks. Apparently the tipping point came when Rivera caught his players drag-racing their hoverboards down a team hallway.
Ron Rivera bans hoverboards in the team facility after seeing players drag racing. "We're trying to limit exposure to injury."
— Eric Adelson (@eric_adelson) January 18, 2016
Ron Rivera on banning players' hover boards: "They were drag racing them in the fricken hallway!" #Panthers
— Zach Groth (@ZachFox46) January 18, 2016
There's a coach earning his salary: Rivera is pulling double-duty as an NFL coach and, apparently, as a father of adolescents.
In fairness, he has a point with the injury risks. People fall off hoverboards all the time, and one misplaced foot could be a turned ankle or a more serious tendon or ligament tear. It doesn't make sense for any professional athlete to be riding one -- especially guys heading into the NFC championship game.
