Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio apologized Wednesday night after he referred to the Jan. 6 riots as a “dust up” while defending an earlier tweet.
“I made comments earlier today in referencing the attack that took place on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Referencing that situation as a dust up was irresponsible and negligent and I am sorry,” Del Rio tweeted. “I stand by my comments condemning violence in communities across the country. I say that while also expressing my support as an American citizen for peaceful protest in our country.”
— Jack Del Rio (@coachdelrio) June 8, 2022
“I have fully supported all peaceful protests in America. I love, respect, and support all my fellow coaches, players, and staff that I work with and respect their views and opinions.”
Del Rio responded to a tweet Monday about Thursday’s Jan. 6 Committee hearings and questioned why there is so much focus on Jan. 6 but not the riots that took place in the summer of 2020.
“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???”
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 ???#CommonSense
— Jack Del Rio (@coachdelrio) June 7, 2022
His tweet prompted backlash from some who claimed the riots didn’t actually constitute a “summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property.”
Del Rio defended his tweet while speaking to reporters Wednesday, calling the Jan. 6 riot a “dust up.” (RELATED: Democrats Straight Up Admit The J6 Hearings Are Political Theater)
“I just asked a simple question, let’s get right down to it: what did I ask? A simple question. Why are we not looking into those things, if we’re gonna talk about it, why are we not looking into those things?”
Commanders Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio:
“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 dust up at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we’re going to make that a major deal.” pic.twitter.com/99mF3uxUTD
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 8, 2022
“I see the images on TV, people’s livelihoods are being destroyed, businesses are being burned down, no problem. And then we have a dust up at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we’re going to make that a major deal. I just think it’s kind of two standards, and if we’re gonna apply the same standard and we’re gonna be reasonable with each other, let’s have a discussion, that’s all it was.”
The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 cost nearly a billion dollars in damage, according to an estimate. Over 250 buildings were looted and damaged in St. Paul and Minneapolis during the riots.