Washington Commanders Fine Coach $100,000 For Saying Fiery 2020 Riots Were Bad

Washington Commanders Fine Coach $100,000 For Saying Fiery 2020 Riots Were Bad
Image via Twitter

By Seth Roy

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera fined his defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for freedom of expression Thursday.

It is a sad moment in time if you can’t state a rational opinion without facing consequences. Del Rio compared the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to the 2020 “Summer of Love” riots that took place all across the nation in a response to the killing of George Floyd.

“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, business are being burned down. No problem,” Del Rio said during a Wednesday press conference. “And then we have a dust up at the Capitol where nothing burned down and we’re going to make that a major deal. I just think that there’s kind of two standards.”

Del Rio later apologized, saying his comments were “irresponsible and negligent.”

Rivera released a statement on Twitter calling Del Rio’s comments “extremely hurtful,” and said the Commanders “will not tolerate any equivalency between those who demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the actions of those on January 6 who sought to topple our government.”

Regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on politically, as an American citizen, you should be able to say whatever you want. Period. Free speech is what makes this country free. To take it from people is morbidly wrong. (RELATED: PGA Issues Suspensions Over Saudi Tournament)

It’s scary to see the NFL taking this route and pushing toward censoring speech.

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