Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that while his firing wasn't necessarily unexpected, the timing of it was.
According to Alaina Getzenberg of the Charlotte Observer, Rivera said: "I thought it would happen at the end of the season."
Panthers owner David Tepper felt he couldn't wait any longer, though, as the Panthers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and suffered an embarrassing 29-21 home loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday to fall to 5-7 on the season.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.