Before the Panthers left North Carolina for California, head coach Ron Rivera brought in Eugene Robinson to speak to his team. Robinson, a member of the Falcons team that fell to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII, recounted the night before that game -- when he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute -- and told the Panthers, "Don't be like me."
Perhaps Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak should've asked Robinson to Skype with his team before they left Denver. Because on Tuesday night, rookie safety Ryan Murphy was questioned by police during a prostitution sting. Though he wasn't cited, Murphy, a member of the practice squad, was swiftly sent home by Kubiak.
On Wednesday, Rivera was asked about the Broncos' incident and if he spoke to his team about what transpired. Rivera revealed that he did, in fact, address Tuesday night's drama with his team and reminded everyone at his media availability about the conversation Robinson had with the Panthers on Sunday.
"Yes. Yes, we did talk about what happened," Rivera said. "Again, it goes back to the conversation Eugene Robinson had with our players just before we got onto the airplane. It's an unfortunate set of circumstances. Again, that's why we talked to our guys so we can stay ahead of something like that and prevent it from becoming a distraction."
Kubiak claimed on Wednesday that the Broncos have already "moved on" from the incident, but Rivera indicated that it's still a distraction the Broncos will have to deal with in the buildup to Super Bowl 50.
"It's something they have to deal with now," Rivera said. "I'm hoping we can maintain and stay focused on what's happening."
Only five days remain until Super Bowl 50, when the Panthers will be forced to solve the Broncos' unrelenting pass rush. So yeah, the Panthers already have enough on their plate, even without any unnecessary distractions, which they've avoided to this point.
