Friday 10 June 2022 08:40 PM Commanders fine Jack Del Rio $100,000 for saying the January 6 insurrection was ... trends now
The Washington Commanders have fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for his comments minimizing the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the US Capitol as a mere 'dustup.'
The team has pledged to donate the penalty to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
Del Rio, 59, was asked about a recent tweet on Wednesday referencing the Congressional Select Committee's hearings on the insurrection. The former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders responded by downplaying the attack on Congress and suggesting that more attention be paid to crimes committed during the nationwide George Floyd protests of 2020.
'Why are we not looking into those things?' Del Rio asked. '… I can look at images on the TV, people's livelihoods are being destroyed, businesses are being burned down, no problem. And then we have a dustup at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we're going to make that a major deal.'
Del Rio has since apologized on social media, calling his comments 'irresponsible and negligent,' but the team still punished him on Friday, nonetheless.
The Washington Commanders have fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for his comments minimizing the January 6 , 2021 insurrection on the US Capitol as a mere 'dustup'
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Del Rio's comment does not reflect the team's belief
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera (pictured) said that Del Rio 'does have the right to voice his opinion as a citizen of the United States' but noted that his words do have consequences for himself and 'people in our community'
'This morning I met with Coach Del Rio to express how disappointed I am in his comments on Wednesday,' head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. 'His comments do not reflect the organization's views and are extremely hurtful to our great community here in the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia].
'As we saw last night in the hearings, what happened on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was an act of domestic terrorism,' Rivera continued. '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.'
Rivera said that Del Rio 'does have the right to voice his opinion as a citizen of the United States' but noted that his words do have consequences for himself and 'people in our community.'
'I want to make it clear that our organization will not tolerate any equivalency between those who demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the actions of those on January 6 who sought to topple our government,' Rivera said.
Del Rio has since apologized on social media, calling his comments 'irresponsible'
The hubbub got started on Monday, when Del Rio responded to a tweet about this week's insurrection hearings on Capitol Hill by referencing the Black Lives Matter protests, some of which were marred by arson and looting.
'Would love to understand 'the whole story' about why the summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property is never discussed but this is ???' Del Rio asked.
Many were quick to call Del Rio out for a false equivalency, including former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy, who stressed that protestors in 2020 were upset
