Washington Commanders fine defensive coordinator $100k after Capitol riots comments
- Sean Fisher
- 11 June 2022
Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been handed a $100,000 fine after he controversially tweeted about the Capitol riots earlier this week.
Washington Commanders defensive coordinater Jack Del Rio has been handed a $100,000 fine by the franchise for a tweet that compared the 2020 protests over George Floyd's death to the 2021 riots in the Capitol.
The fine collected from the 59-year-old will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
The team announced Friday that Commanders coach Ron Rivera levied the fine on Del Rio, who has been with the Washington side since 2020.
"This morning I met with Coach Del Rio to express how disappointed I am in his comments on Wednesday," said Rivera.
"His comments do not reflect the organization's views and are extremely hurtful to our great community here in the DMV. As we saw last night in the hearings, what happened on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was an act of domestic terrorism.
"A group of citizens attempted to overturn the results of a free and fair election, and as a result, lives were lost and the Capitol building was damaged.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) June 10, 2022
"Coach Del Rio did apologize for his comments on Wednesday and he understands the distinction between the events of that dark day and peaceful protests, which are a hallmark of our democracy.
"He does have the right to voice his opinion as a citizen of the United States and it most certainly is his constitutional right to do so. However, words have consequences and his words hurt a lot of people in our community."
Del Rio himself has issued an apology for his tweet, with the former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach stating it was "irresponsible and negligent."
Despite calls for Del Rio to resign or be fired, the defensive coordinator looks set to retain his job with the side.
Commanders defensive captain Jonathan Allen was asked his opinion on the matter:
"I don't care about his opinion. As long as he shows up every day and he works hard, that's what I want from my defensive coordinator."
