Commanders DC Jack Del Rio claims Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection was a ‘dust-up’

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is taking some serious heat off the field for casually referring to the January 6 Capitol riots as a “dust-up.”

On January 6, 2021, a large mob stormed the Capitol building while Congress was in session. Their mission: to prevent Joe Biden from being named the winner of the 2020 election. Many of these people were die-hard Donald Trump supporters, and the former president has been criticized for inciting the riot. Five people died in this horrific event, including Capitol police officers. Two other responding officers later took their own lives.

Del Rio compared the riot to the George Floyd protests, which were mostly peaceful. Some violent acts were committed during the Floyd protests, including arson, looting, and other property damage. Yet, this was the exception and not the norm of demonstrations calling for social justice.

According to USA Today, Del Rio, prompted by the creation of the 1/6 Committee to get the “entire store” of the Capitol riot, tweeted that he would love to understand the “whole story about the summer of riots and destruction.” At a news conference on Wednesday, June 8, the DC referred to the events of January 6 as a “dust-up.” This almost instantly generated intense criticism, prompting Del Rio to apologize for his comments and clarify them.

He later stated that calling the insurrection a dust-up was “irresponsible and negligent.” He reinforced his comments condemning violence but did express support for peaceful protests. Despite his apology, some wonder if it was sincere, much less enough of an effort to redact the extreme comparison. The DC commander further went on to say, “Nothing burned down on January 6, but we’re making a big deal out of it.”

That “big deal” refers to the House committee, which has been created to investigate the events of January 6 and conduct a series of hearings on the insurrection. Currently, federal prosecutors have charged over 800 people in 48 states for their roles in one of America’s darkest days.