- Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio compared the Capitol attack to "the summer of riots."
- He defended the comment on Wednesday, saying "nothing burned down" during the insurrection.
- He later apologized for calling the Capitol riot a "dust-up," saying it was "irresponsible and negligent."
Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio defended a comment he made comparing the January 6, 2021, attack to riots that broke out during racial justice protests in 2020, but later partially apologized.
On Monday Del Rio responded to a tweet about a Brookings Institution report on the Capitol riot, writing: "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 ??? #CommonSense."
When reporters asked about the tweet on Wednesday, Del Rio defended it and said he just asked a question.
"Why are we not looking into those things?" Del Rio said, adding: "I see the images on TV, people's livelihoods are being destroyed, businesses are being burned down."
"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," he continued.
—Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) June 8, 2022
After defending his initial comment, Del Rio released a statement later on Wednesday apologizing for his description of the attack on the Capitol.
"Referencing that situation as a dust-up was irresponsible and negligent and I am sorry," he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
"I stand by my comments condemning violence in communities across the country," he continued, adding that he supports peaceful protest.
Multiple people died during the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including a rioter who was shot by law enforcement, when a mob stormed the building with the aim of disrupting the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Members of Congress were evacuated and over 100 police officers were injured as rioters broke windows and tore down barriers into the Capitol.
Del Rio appeared to be condemning rioting that occurred during the summer of 2020 when racial justice protests swept through the US in the wake of George Floyd's murder. While the protests were largely peaceful, damage from the rioting that took place amounted to more than $1 billion in damages, according to Axios, and multiple people were killed.
