Doc Rivers has not coached his first game since landing a job with the Philadelphia 76ers, but he already delivered a locker room speech. He showed up at a Joe Biden rally in Pennsylvania and supported the Democrat Party’s nominee. Rivers called for voters to get out and “close the game” on Nov. 3.
“We have so much at stake, everybody. We have so much to do still,” Rivers said. “I’m coming up to you as your coach today — how about that? So, I want you to understand this. We’re in the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter is on Tuesday. We have to close the game on Tuesday.” Rivers continued and expressed his opinion that the best path forward for the United States is to elect Biden and Kamala Harris.
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“This is a country that needs to come together,” he said. “We have to come together if we want to be great. And the only way we’re going to come together is by Joe Biden being our president and Kamala Harris being our Vice President.”
There have been long lines at polling stations around the country, and Rivers is well aware of that fact. He told the rally attendees that they need to “stay the course.” He said that they need to stay in line, even if it takes one, two or three hours. Finally, Rivers suggested that the Trump campaign has used scare tactics to keep Biden supporters from voting.
“You know what bullies do? They start using scare tactics when they have nothing to run on,” Rivers continued. “When they have nothing to say, they try to scare you. Be strong and be mighty and vote.”
Rivers, who used to be friends with Trump, has criticized the president since the 2016 election. He said in 2017 that NFL players would not be kneeling to protest “injustice and bigotry” if “Trump did his job.” He also alleged that the president is trying to get people not to vote in the 2020 election.
Days before the Pennsylvania rally, Rivers joined Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and the Lincoln Project to release a video supporting Biden. They said that a vote for Trump “is a vote against the very ideals upon which our country was founded.” The two men also said that the country “is at a crossroads” and that it is time for people to decide where they stand. Like Rivers, Kerr has long been an outspoken critic of Trump. Now he has made it clear that he is voting for Biden.
