Ron Rivera says it was his decision to release Derrius Guice in wake of domestic violence arrest

“Anytime you have to release a young, talented football player, it’s always a tough decision,” Rivera said in a video conference with reporters. “But this type of circumstance, this type of situation, we take those allegations very, very seriously and we had to make the decision going forward. And sometimes it’s one of these things that there are processes, there are situations, there are circumstances that you go through. Each situation and each circumstance is unique. Each one will be handled and dealt with differently to what we believe is best for the organization going forward, and that’s probably the most important thing.”

Rivera declined to elaborate further on the team’s internal process, but said he spoke with his players Sunday and told them that he made the decision he felt was best for the organization.

“And if it was the right decision, we will benefit from it, and if it’s not, it will be on me,” he said. “I will take full responsibility as we go forward to try and make sure we do things the right way, and we’ll go from there.”

Guice turned himself in at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday and was charged with one count of felony strangulation, three counts of assault and battery, and one count of destruction of property.

According to Virginia court records, he is currently set to be arraigned the morning of Aug. 28.

Guice’s arrest came after three incidents were reported to the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland, where the alleged victim lives, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office. The department determined assaults took place Feb. 14, March 13 and April 17 at Guice’s home in Ashburn. The sheriff’s office learned of the accusations July 22, and the investigation was coordinated by officials in both Loudoun and Montgomery counties.

Guice was handcuffed in the parking lot before being led inside, and just before 7:30 p.m. he was released on $10,000 bond.

While Guice was at the detention center, the team issued a statement that said it learned of the allegations against him on Thursday and promptly notified the NFL. They then met with Guice and told him he was excused from team activities while the club reviewed the situation.

“Upon review of the nature of these charges and following internal discussions, we have decided to release Derrius immediately,” the statement read.

To represent him in the case, Guice hired Peter D. Greenspun, a criminal attorney in Northern Virginia whose past clients included D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad in 2003 and sportscaster Marv Albert in 1997. Greenspun arrived at the detention center Friday moments after Guice was led inside in handcuffs. Upon his release, Greenspun issued a statement that claimed failure by investigators to fully examine the allegations that took place months ago, and denounced the team for waiving Guice “without a single question as to what occurred.”

“Derrius will defend these charges in court, where a full vetting of the allegations will take place, in contrast to actions by local law enforcement and the Washington Football Team that assumed the worst, directly contradicting every sense of fairness and due process,” Greenspun said.

Rivera said Monday that the team had a conversation with Guice on Friday morning and “from what we learned later on, we made a decision.”

Guice’s exit leaves Washington with five running backs on its 80-man training camp roster, and only one — veteran starter Adrian Peterson — has played a snap for the team.

Washington signed veterans J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber in free agency and later drafted Antonio Gibson, who is slated to be used as both a running back and a receiver in Scott Turner’s offense. Bryce Love, a 2019 draft pick, spent his entire rookie season recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in college but has been in the mix throughout the early going in camp.

In Carolina, Rivera typically kept four to five running backs on his teams’ season-opening rosters, with one of those slots usually held by a fullback. How many backs he plans to have for Week 1 this year will depend on multiple factors, including the team’s needs at other positions, the health of its current backs, how it views Gibson’s role as a hybrid player, and the talent that comes available on the waiver wire after initial rosters are formed.

“We feel very good about the group of guys we have, we really do,” Rivera said. “We think this is a group of guys that are talented.

“It was a very difficult decision, it really was. Derrius is a gifted young football player and again, it’s one of those things where we’re trying to get ready for the season and one thing we can’t handle are situations and circumstances that are beyond our realm. He’s going to have to deal with something for a while, and his opportunity to get prepared and ready for the season would be limited. We’re looking at getting ready in the next five weeks to play our opener.”