Jack Del Rio

 

The sports world is reeling this week over comments by Jack Del Rio about the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot in Washington. Del Rio is the defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders NFL franchise. 

Here is what Del Rio posted on Twitter:

“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???"

When subsequently asked about the comment by reporters, Del Rio replied:

“Why are we not looking into those things — if we’re going to talk about it — why are we not looking into those things?” Del Rio said. “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 dust-up 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.”

For thee comments, the Washington Commanders, an organization that for several years, has been beset by scandals and a name change, has fined Del Rio $100,000. Head Coach Ron Rivera issued a public statement condemning the remarks.

Del Rio has now apologized:

“I made comments earlier today in referencing the attack that took place on the United States Capitol on January 6,2021. 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.”

My initial reaction was that I find it hard to condemn Del Rio because I have also condemned the urban riots that took place in places like Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, and other cities. However, I have also condemned the January 6 riot while myself raising questions over the disparity in how the government has handled the events in terms of arrests and prosecution. I would say that using the word, "dustup" to describe the January 6 riots is a big understatement.

Yesterday, I watched a couple of TV sports talk shows that delved into the controversy. It should be noted that these shows are totally to the left on social issues. Not surprisingly, most of the commentators were harsh on Del Rio, but unlike some, I heard nobody call for his firing. I heard the views of Stephen A Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Marcus Spears, Jay Williams, and Keshawn Johnson, all African-Americans, and Max Kellerman, who is Caucasian. While I may not have agreed with everything they said, I found their comments interesting and worth listening to.

I believe to the best of my recollection, it was Johnson who pointed out that when people refer to "summer of riots" and "burning and looting", they are talking about African-Americans. That is often true, but he is forgetting about Antifa, a group of anarchists who are overwhelmingly white and have been responsible for much of that rioting over the past couple of years, particularly in Portland, Oregon, where for several months, they attacked the federal building on a  nightly basis. I am sure that Del Rio was also referring to them.

This leads me to a very salient point. Let's be honest: Whites and blacks tend to have different perceptions when it comes to race in that in many cases, white people (like me) would say that this or that "has nothing to do with race", whereas a black person would say, "it has everything to do with race." People have different perceptions on so many things based on their backgrounds and life experiences. When it comes to race in America, on the average, whites and blacks have different perceptions.

That said, I think the sports world should be very cautious in how they handle Del Rio. To me, his apology should suffice. If he is going to be hounded out of the NFL over these remarks, I fear for freedom of speech in this country. I do not see why his remarks should destroy his relationships with black players (though that's just my perception). As the above-mentioned commentators themselves pointed out, they also condemn riots.