Dust Settling: Commanders Coach Ron Rivera Fines Jack Del Rio

Following comments after Wednesday's practice that sparked widespread outrage, Rivera decided a fine was sufficient punishment to get the point across

Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is an organizational leader for the Washington Commanders, part of the NFL which is the most well-known professional sports league on the planet. 

Fair or not, as an organizational leader of a franchise with the amount of social standing and notoriety as Washington, everything he does and says is tied to the team. 

It was the same when he was coaching the Las Vegas Raiders (then in Oakland) from 2015-2017, and it'll still be the same if he ever leaves the Commanders for another coaching job elsewhere. 

So when Del Rio minimized what happened on January 6th at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. by calling it a "dust-up" while answering questions from media members following Wednesday's OTA practice session, the backlash that followed was predictable if not expected. 

On Thursday, Del Rio himself issued an apology, and on Friday, he was fined by head coach Ron Rivera who also released a statement. 

"[Friday] morning I met with Coach Del Rio to express how disappointed I am in his comments on Wednesday," Rivera's statement reads. "His comments do not reflect the organization's views and are extremely hurtful to our great community here in the DMV...He does have the right to voice his opinion as a citizen of the United States...However, words have consequences and his words hurt a lot of people in our community."

Rivera's statement continues with the Washington Commanders coach saying he's decided to fine the defensive coordinator $100,000 which will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund. 

The full statement was shared on the team's Twitter page.