Commanders Defensive Coach Jack Del Rio Wants To Know Why Jan. 6 Is Treated Differently Than When Our Cities Burned

Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is asking the question: Why is the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 being talked about differently than the protests after the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer during the summer of 2020.

Just two days after raising the question on Twitter, Del Rio addressed the tweet during his availability with the Washington press Wednesday.

"I'm just expressing myself," Del Rio said, via The Athletic. "And I think we as Americans have the right to express ourselves especially if you're being respectful. I'm being respectful. 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 going to talk ? 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 being burned down. No problem. And then we have a dust-up at the Capitol. Nothing burned down. And we're not going to talk about … we're going to make that a major deal. I just think it's kind of two standards."

With the Jan. 6 Committee Hearings currently taking place, Del Rio responded to a tweet from a CNN legal analyst on Monday, who wrote a guide on the 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 ???," Del Rio wrote.

When asked by reporters if he'd be open to discussing the tweet further with his players, Del Rio responded with the following:

"Let's have a discussion," Del Rio said. "We're Americans. Just talk it through. I'm for us having a great opportunity to have a fulfilling life. Like I said every which way I can, when I'm here it's about love and respect. I love my guys. I respect my guys. But I also love the fact that I'm an American and that means I'm free to express myself. And I'm not afraid to do that."

Shortly after making the comments after practice, Del Rio released a statement on Twitter, apologizing for referring to the storming of the U.S. Capitol as a "dust-up."

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera opted not to get into anything "not pertaining to football."

"I'm not gonna talk about the stuff that I talk with my coaches about, especially stuff that's off the field and not pertaining to football," Rivera said Wednesday. "It's just everyone's entitled to their opinion now."