Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has come under fire for his Jan. 6 comments which led to him being fined $100,000 from head coach Ron Rivera.
Del Rio issued an apology on Twitter the following day before deleting his account altogether.
“Referencing that situation as a dust-up was irresponsible and negligent, and I am sorry. 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. 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.”
Following his apology, it still remained to be seen what sort of working relationship he will have with the rest of the roster moving forward into the season.
Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen was asked about what impact Del Rio’s comments had on the locker room last week but Allen reported that his comments didn’t really make news in the locker room.
“Me personally, I stay away from it,” Allen said last Wednesday. “I’ve heard about it, but I don’t get on specifically, so I don’t have to really answer questions because I really don’t know. But in my opinion, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Some guys decide to share it on Twitter, some guys don’t. Doesn’t make one person better than the other. And at the end of the day, you can have a difference in opinion and still respect one another. I feel like that’s what our country is about, that’s what our team is about.
Jon Allen's comments on DC Jack Del Rio's tweets ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4ln6gG5ARV
— NBC Sports Commanders (@NBCSCommanders) June 8, 2022
“Me personally, I don’t care about his opinion. As long as he shows up every day and he works hard, that’s what I want from my defensive coordinator.”
Allen is entering his sixth season in the NFL spending every year with the Commanders after being selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
