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Student-athlete: Washington’s Ron Rivera tells Jahan Dotson to attend Penn State graduation
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Jahan Dotson didn’t want to miss a practice with the Washington Commanders. After being selected No. 16 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, the former Penn State wide receiver was prepared to miss a really special day in order to be on the field for his team.
That’s when Ron Rivera stepped in.
According to John Keim of ESPN, Dotson was prepared to skip his graduation at Penn State on Saturday. He said he didn’t want to miss practice with his new organization.
Rivera wasn’t a fan of Dotson’s plan, however, making the wide receiver change some priorities over the weekend. Per Keim, Rivera told Dotson he had to attend the graduation, so now the receiver will head back to State College for the weekend.
WR Jahan Dotson said he was ready to skip his graduation at Penn State tomorrow; didn't want to miss practice. But he said Ron Rivera told him he had to go. So he's going.
— John Keim (@john_keim) May 6, 2022
That’s a tremendous gesture from the NFL head coach. Rivera understands the importance of earning a degree and doesn’t want Dotson to miss the special day.
It’ll be quite a week-long span for Dotson. Last week, he was selected in the first round of the draft by the Commanders. This weekend, he’ll receive his degree from Penn State.
Those will be two weekends Dotson never forgets.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB