The Washington Commanders announced on Friday that head coach Ron Rivera has fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for his inflammatory recent comments that called the January 6th, 2021 insurrection being a “dust-up” and compared rioters at the capitol to protestors for racial justice.
In his statement, Rivera said he met with Del Rio on Friday morning to express his disappointment with the veteran coach's remarks, also specifying that they do not reflect views of the Commanders organization. The team will donate proceeds from Del Rio's fine to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) June 10, 2022
Rivera had previously opted against taking any official action against Del Rio, who made the comments during regularly scheduled media availability on Wednesday.
Less than 24 hours later, NAACP president Derrick Johnson issued a statement demanding the 59-year-old immediate resignation or dismissal, calling Del Rio's comparison of insurrectionists to racial justice protestors “twisted.”
“It’s time for Jack Del Rio to resign or be terminated,” Johnson said, per Pro Football Talk. “His comments could not have been more offensive and ignorant. The January 6th insurrection—an attempted coup—was far from a ‘dust-up.’ Each day we learn more and more on just how close our democracy came to autocracy. Downplaying the insurrection by comparing it to nationwide protests, which were in response to a public lynching, is twisted. You can’t coach a majority Black team while turning your back on the Black community. It’s time for you to pack up and step off the field.”
Del Rio apologized for his words mere hours after they ignited a firestorm in the sports world, saying it was “negligent and wrong” to refer to the events of January 6th as a “dust-up.”
The Commanders assistant refused to take back his criticism of thousands and thousands of protestors who protested police brutality and systemic racism in wake of George Floyd's murder, though, while insisting he has “love, respect and support” for all Commanders players, the vast majority of whom are Black.
Del Rio, former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, was hired as Washington's defensive coordinator on January 2nd, 2020.
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