EXCLUSIVE: "There are definitely some players who didn't like it" - Commanders insider reveals Ron Rivera's fine on Jack Del Rio impacted locker room

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera made the news in June when he fined his defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Del Rio made some controversial remarks regarding the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots. At the time, there was some speculation about how the dressing room would react to Del Rio and the decision to fine him.

Del Rio was fined $100,000 for saying the following:

"I can look at the 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 burnt down, and we're going to make that a major deal."

Insider John Keim has revealed that there are Commanders players who are, in fact, unhappy about the fine. Speaking on Sportskeeda's Inside the Huddle podcast, Keim went into more detail on the subject:

"I will say at the time, there are definitely some players who didn't like it. But the question was, does it impact anything? So I talked to multiple people, you know, connected to players, whether it's agents, managers, friends, not anybody even hesitated saying it's not an issue."

He continued:

"Even if they felt like some players didn't like it, or would have had a problem with it, they didn't think it would affect the locker room."

Keim went on to say:

"I also think some of that is because Chase Young gets along with Del Rio really well. In fact, if I talk to somebody close to him, he's like, oh, Jack's his God."

He concluded:

"I think if you had someone, like Malcolm Jenkins, then you're looking at a different veteran who has the respect of the locker room. Use his voice to maybe say something, and then it's like, wait a minute here. They don't necessarily have that guy on this defense."

Analyzing the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2022 season

Dallas Cowboys v Washington Football Team

Jack Del Rio aside, the Washington Commanders will enter the 2022 season with a lot of distractions. They are also dealing with an investigation into accusations of a hostile workplace. Owner Daniel Snyder has been making headlines of late in that regard and the majority of the players will just want to get down to football.

The Commanders will be hoping defensive star Chase Young will be ready for the start of the season, though there are some reports that suggest he may not be. He will be an important part of their defense, which will be looking to improve on a disappointing season last year.

Washington roped in quarterback Carson Wentz, who is running out of second chances. If he doesn't lead the Commanders to at least a winning season, his career could be in jeopardy.

The NFC East is a tough division to call. The Dallas Cowboys lost wide receiver Amari Cooper and many analysts think they took a step backwards. Quarterback Dak Prescott is rumored to be under some pressure in 2022, but so far these have only been murmurs.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a quarterback in a similar position as Wentz, in that if he doesn't show signs of development, he could be in trouble. Jalen Hurts led the Eagles into the playoffs last season, but they were soundly defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round. Hurts' throwing ability comes under question far too much for him to feel comfortable.

The New York Giants also have a quarterback in need of a banner year. The Giants waived Daniel Jones' fifth-year option, so he is entering the last year of his contract.

In what appears to be a last-chance saloon for the NFC East quarterbacks, it will be interesting to see who will take the crown and who will fall by the wayside. With only two months until kick off, we don't have long to wait.

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The full episode will be out soon on Inside The Huddle.

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