An ugly incident from Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio's past was brought back to light on social media after his controversial comments regarding the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the George Floyd protests of summer 2020.
Del Rio came under criticism after he downplayed the insurrection and characterized the Floyd protests as riots.
But some were quick to point out that Del Rio has questionable behavior of his own to answer for -- aside from his penchant for polarizing tweets -- including, in the words of 106.7 The Fan's Brian Mitchell, making a habit of poking "the racial bear."
According to Dan Le Batard and others, during the player's strike of 1987, Del Rio, then a linebacker with the Chiefs, beat up team legend Otis Taylor, apparently after mistaking the retired two-time All-Pro wide receiver for a replacement player. The incident was reportedly settled out of court.
Del Rio was also accused of slashing the tires on cars belonging to replacement players.
The seemingly thuggish behavior and reckless tweeting raises questions about the professionalism, maturity and leadership of a man who has long held positions of authority in the NFL, including two stints as a head coach.
Del Rio later apologized for dismissing the Capitol riot as a "dust-up," but the terse statement -- oddly published in quotation marks -- seemed to be off the mark.
The Commanders have been beset by a series of controversies in recent years, and Del Rio seems to have added fuel to the fire.
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