Washington Commanders

Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed wants to see Washington Commanders players speak out against Jack Del Rio for his comments about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol.

Reed tweeted Saturday that the $100,000 fine Del Rio was assessed is "nothing" and players coached by him need to "put your pants on" and stand up to the 59-year-old.

Del Rio initially caused a stir Monday when he responded to a tweet about the hearings on the insurrection in which he seemed to equate the attack on the Capitol with the public protests that occurred in the summer of 2020 in response to Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd.

"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," Del Rio tweeted.

Addressing that comment during a press conference Wednesday, Del Rio referred to the insurrection as a "dustup" and doubled down on his original stance:

What did I ask? A simple question. Why are we not looking into those things, if we're gonna talk about [January 6], why are we not looking into those things? Because it's kind of hard for me to say, I can realistically look at it, I see the images on 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 gonna make that a major deal.

Del Rio, who has since deleted his Twitter account, issued an apology for his comments later Wednesday.

"I stand by my comments condemning violence in communities across the country," he said in his apology statement. "I say that while also expressing my support as an American citizen for peaceful protest in our country. 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."

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera announced Friday that Del Rio had been fined $100,000 after the two met to discuss his comments. The money will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

Washington defensive end Jonathan Allen told JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington that "you can have a difference in opinion and still respect one another" when asked about Del Rio's tweets.

Del Rio is entering his third season as Commanders defensive coordinator. The team will hold mandatory minicamp June 14-16.

The Washington Commanders announced Friday they have fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for comments he made this week about the breach of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera released the following statement:

Rivera called Del Rio's comments "extremely hurtful" and noted that the $100,000 will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

Per ESPN's John Keim, Del Rio tweeted Monday in response to a tweet about the Jan. 6 hearings: "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."

When asked to explain his comments Wednesday, Del Rio told reporters:

"Why are we not looking into those things—if we're going to talk about it—why are we not looking into those things? 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. I just think it's kind of two standards, and if we apply the same standard and we're going to be reasonable with each other, let's have a discussion. That's all it was. Let's have a discussion."

After facing backlash, Del Rio apologized:

Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died during and in the aftermath of the insurrection.

The House select committee is investigating the breach and the circumstances that led up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, including the possibility former President Donald Trump had some responsibility for inciting the riot after repeatedly claiming that the 2020 presidential election was rigged in favor of winning candidate Joe Biden.

Del Rio, 59, has been the Commanders' defensive coordinator under Rivera since 2020 after previously holding multiple DC and head coaching jobs in the NFL.

After spending 11 seasons as a linebacker with the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, Del Rio transitioned to coaching in 1997.

Del Rio was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2011 and the then-Oakland Raiders from 2015 to 2017.

Del Rio is 93-94 as a head coach with three playoff appearances. He also won a Super Bowl as the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach in 2000.

In response to Jack Del Rio's recent comments about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol, the NAACP is calling for the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator to resign or be fired.

NAACP president Derrick Johnson issued a statement calling Del Rio's comments "offensive and ignorant" and saying he "can't coach a majority Black team while turning your back on the Black community."

During a press conference Wednesday, Del Rio called the Capitol breach a "dust-up." He was asked about the topic after responding to a tweet by equating the insurrection to the civil unrest in the summer of 2020 over police violence sparked by George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Amid criticism of his both his tweet and press-conference comment, Del Rio issued an apology on Twitter:

In response to his statement about supporting peaceful protests, ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin posted a screenshot of Del Rio's comments about not wanting players to protest during the national anthem when he was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2016.

Del Rio has a history of generating controversy on social media. He previously shared a fake picture of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter in 2020.

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Commanders had no comment in response to Del Rio's original tweet from Monday.

The House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is scheduled to hold its initial public hearings Thursday. It will be the first time the committee releases "newly unearthed evidence" revealed during its investigation.

There has been no indication that the Commanders are considering making a change at defensive coordinator.

Del Rio is entering his third season on Ron Rivera's coaching staff. The 59-year-old was hired in January 2020. He sat out the previous two seasons after being fired by the Raiders following a 6-10 record in 2017.

Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw had been trying to lure the Washington Commanders to build a new stadium in Virginia, but he is now giving up on his stadium bill for the moment, per Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post.

The Commanders reportedly spent $100 million on land in Virginia last month, per John Keim of ESPN.

Saslaw blamed the repeated controversies within the organization, most recently with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio referring to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol as a "dust-up."

Del Rio apologized for his wording afterward.

"This obviously was not very helpful to put it mildly, but there’s so many other things out there," Saslaw said. "There were just so many things out there that a lot of people are saying, 'Saslaw, this thing needs to wait.'"

Another Virginia State Senator, Jeremy McPike, specifically cited Del Rio's comments as a reason to vote no on the stadium bill:

Del Rio's comments are only the latest in a long list of scandals for the organization, however. The U.S. Congress' Committee on Oversight and Reform has been investigating allegations the Commanders have a "hostile workplace culture" and requested owner Dan Snyder and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to appear at a hearing.

The NFL fined the franchise $10 million in 2021 after conducting its own investigation into similar allegations, with Dan Snyder's wife, Tanya Snyder, taking over day-to-day operations.

The congressional hearing also featured a former marketing and events coordinator telling the panel that Snyder sexually harassed her. There was also an allegation that he withheld ticket sales meant to be shared with the rest of the NFL.

It could be enough to leave the Commanders in limbo in regards to a new stadium. The organization has played at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, since 1997.

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz downplayed comments from Troy Aikman that this season could be his final opportunity to prove himself as a franchise player.

Speaking to reporters after a minicamp practice, Wentz admitted he wasn't even aware of Aikman's comments.

"You know, everyone's got their own opinion. I'm just excited to be playing this game, have this opportunity. I think we have the ability to do something special here and then we have a really good skill set offensively to be dynamic. It takes one day at a time, obviously, but for me, I don't try to put too much pressure on myself. I always have high expectations for myself and for the offense, but I don't try and play those types of games. I don't have enough mental space to kind of process all that and it can wear on you. So for me, I just show up to try and be the best I can be, go home and be the best I can be as a father and as a husband, come back and do it again."

During a conference call with reporters last month, Aikman said this is probably Wentz's "last opportunity, just being blunt about it, to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL."

The Commanders are Wentz's third team in the past three seasons. They acquired him, along with two draft picks, from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for three draft picks in March.

Indianapolis acquired Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2021 for two picks. The deal reunited the 2017 Pro Bowler with Frank Reich, who was Philadelphia's offensive coordinator for his first two seasons in the NFL.

The Colts traded a 2021 third-round draft pick and a conditional 2022 pick that wound up being a first-rounder because Wentz played more than 70 percent of their offensive snaps.

Wentz had a solid statistical season with the Colts in 2021. He threw for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns with a 62.4 completion percentage in 17 starts.

Things ended badly for Wentz and the Colts. They lost their final two games of the regular season, including a 26-11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18, to miss the playoffs.

Per The Athletic's Zak Keefer, the Colts had numerous issues with Wentz that go back to before the 2021 season began:

"As for the Colts, the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began, one source said, and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated at what they deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play, which had a role in several close losses this year."

At one point, Wentz looked like he was going to be Philadelphia's franchise quarterback. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft and was having an MVP-caliber season in 2017 before tearing his ACL in Week 14.

The Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII with Nick Foles at quarterback. Wentz had intermittent success over the next three seasons in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old bottomed out in 2020 throwing 15 interceptions, tied for most in the NFL.

Washington is hoping Wentz can provide stability at quarterback. The franchise has started eight different players at the position since the start of the 2019 season.

The Commanders haven't had a winning record since 2016.

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has apologized after calling the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol a "dust-up" on Wednesday.

On Monday, responding to a tweet about the upcoming Jan. 6 committee hearings, Del Rio seemed to equate the insurrection to the civil unrest over police violence sparked by George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Del Rio called the insurrection a "dust-up" in response to a question about Commanders players potentially taking issue with his tweet.

Del Rio later apologized for his comments via social media, saying it was "irresponsible" of him to reference the insurrection as a "dust-up":

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Commanders did not have a comment at this moment about Del Rio's tweet.

Del Rio did say he would have "no problem" if anyone wanted to talk about his comment and said he was asking "a simple question" in a respectful manner.

Per CNN's Paul LeBlanc, the House select committee is scheduled to hold its first public hearing over the attack on the Capitol on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

The hearing is expected to be "a broad overview of the panel’s 10-month investigation and set the stage for subsequent hearings, which are expected to cover certain topics or themes."

This isn't the first time Del Rio has created controversy on Twitter. In June 2020, he shared a fake picture attributed to New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and tweeted support for then-President Donald Trump, while telling everyone who wasn't "100% for America" to "kiss my A$$."

Washington head coach Ron Rivera hired Del Rio as defensive coordinator in January 2020. The 59-year-old is entering his third season with the Commanders.

Prior to being hired by Washington, Del Rio spent three seasons as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2015-17. He went 25-23 with one playoff appearance in 2016.

Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suggested Thursday that he may be retiring from the NFL.

Former NFL running back Fred Jackson, who was Fitzpatrick's teammate with the Buffalo Bills from 2009 to 2012, shared the following text message he received from Fitz:

In addition to thanking Jackson, Fitzpatrick sent him an image that appears to be made up of the names of all of his teammates over the course of a 17-year NFL career.

NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero later reported Fitzpatrick is likely to pursue a career in broadcasting.

Fitzpatrick appeared in just one game for the Washington Commanders last season before suffering a season-ending hip injury.

If it is indeed the end of the line for the 39-year-old Fitzpatrick, he enjoyed one of the most unique and remarkable NFL careers ever.

After being selected by the then-St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft out of Harvard, Fitzpatrick went on to play for nine different teams—the Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Washington.

ESPN's Field Yates noted that Fitzpatrick made NFL history by starting at least one game for each of those teams:

Fitzpatrick spent significant time as both a starter and a backup during his career, and although he never made it to the playoffs, he put up some impressive numbers.

In 166 career games, 147 of which were starts, Fitz completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 34,990 yards, 223 touchdowns and 169 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,623 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Fitzpatrick ranks 32nd in NFL history in career passing yardage and 36th in career passing touchdowns.

While Fitzpatrick had a nomadic career, he is best remembered for his time with the Bills. Fitzpatrick spent four seasons in Buffalo, marking the longest tenure with a single team in his career.

He earned the nickname "FitzMagic" in Buffalo thanks to some of his memorable wins, including a home victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2011.

Fitzpatrick has maintained his love for the Bills and the city of Buffalo since then, even attending last season's playoff win over the Patriots while shirtless.

In addition to his on-field play, Fitzpatrick is known for his entertaining and charismatic interactions with reporters during press conferences, which could make him a natural fit for the announce booth.

The Committee on Oversight and Reform announced Wednesday that it has requested the presence of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder at a hearing regarding the Commanders' workplace culture on June 22.

Fifteen women who were once employed by the Commanders said they were the subject of sexual harassment and verbal abuse from members of Snyder's "inner circle" in an article published by Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post in July 2020.

ESPN's Trisha Thompson reported in February that additional allegations of sexual harassment were levied against the organization during a congressional roundtable.

Tiffani Johnston, who formerly worked for the Commanders as marketing and events coordinator, said during the roundtable that Snyder had placed his hand on her thigh under the table at a work dinner.

Snyder's wife, Tanya Snyder, has been in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Commanders since last year amid the NFL's investigation into the organization's alleged toxic workplace culture.

Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney released the following statement regarding the request for Goodell and Snyder to appear later this month:

"Since we launched our investigation in October, the Committee's goal has been to uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders, to hold accountable those responsible, and to better protect workers across the country.

"The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn. We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we are calling on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they have dodged for the last seven months. The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened at the Commanders organization does not happen again."

The NFL later issued a response to the request, via Adam Schefter of ESPN:

After the Committee on Oversight and Reform's roundtable, the NFL announced in February that it was launching a new investigation specifically into the allegations against Snyder.

Former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White was selected by the league to lead the investigation.

After the initial investigation, the Commanders were fined $10 million by the NFL for fostering a toxic workplace culture. In a statement, Snyder called himself "ultimately responsible" for the environment.

The Washington Commanders reportedly have an answer to their attendance woes: make their new stadium smaller.

Michael Phillips of the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported the Commanders' proposal for a new stadium in Prince William County, Virginia, is designed to seat 55,000 people, which would make it the smallest stadium in the NFL.

FedEx Field, the Commanders' home since 1997, has been removing seats for several years amid their attendance woes. The stadium once maxed out with a capacity of 91,704 fans—the largest in the NFL—and now holds only 67,717. 

Despite the massive reduction seating, FedEx Field remains unfilled on most weeks. The Commanders ranked 31st in attendance last season (52,751), ahead of only the Detroit Lions, and have not ranked higher than 20th in attendance since 2017.

Washington was once one of the NFL's most popular teams, but decadeslong mismanagement from owner Daniel Snyder has led to widespread frustration among fans. Snyder has also come under public fire in recent years because of allegations of workplace harassment from female employees and an investigation into alleged financial impropriety.

Undeterred, Snyder has continued to search for a new stadium site as the team's lease on FedEx Field ends in 2027. 

The Virginia stadium package proposal is said to create 2,246 jobs in the area by 2033.

“We are grateful for the bipartisan support the stadium authority legislation has already received, and any additional time will certainly provide us with more opportunities to share how this project can create new jobs, generate significant tax revenue and spur economic development,” team president Jason Wright said in a statement.