Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been fined $100,000 for his controversial comments about the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, by team head coach Ron Rivera, the team announced Friday.
In a statement release, Rivera said he met with Del Rio Friday morning “to express how disappointed I am in his comments.”
“His comments do not reflect the organization’s views and are extremely hurtful to our great community here in the DMV,” Rivera continued. “As we saw last night in the hearting, 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.”
Earlier this week, Jack Del Rio made a controversial tweet comparing the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd with the Capitol riots. When asked about the tweet by reporters, Del Rio on Wednesday referenced the Capitol attack as a “dust-up.”
Del Rio later issued an apology calling his reference to the Capitol invasion “irresponsible and negligent.” However, he said he stood by his comments.
The money from the $100,000 fine will be donated to the U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
Additionally, Del Rio will address the team Tuesday when the Commanders are set to start their mandatory minicamp.
