Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio issued an apology on Wednesday for comments he made about his tweet about the Capitol insurrection that occurred in January 2021. He called the insurrection a “dust-up.”
In his initial Twitter reply, Del Rio asked why the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 was being investigated, while what he described as “riots” during summer 2020 were not. During summer 2020, there were nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis law enforcement. Floyd, who was Black, died in police custody after officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on his neck for several minutes during an arrest. Chauvin was later convicted of second and third-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter.
Four people died during the attack on Jan. 6. The Capitol suffered damages of $1.5 million and there were over 725 arrests, according to the United States Department of Justice. Over 225 people were charged with a crime and 140 total police officers were assaulted.
In response to this situation, NAACP president Derrick Johnson released a statement arguing that Del Rio should lose his job based on the comments he made.
“It’s time for Jack Del Rio to resign or be terminated,” Johnson said, via 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.”
The Commanders have not publicly commented on the Del Rio situation in regards to the future of his job.
