"Insensitive and uniformed" - Robert Griffin lashes out at Jack Del Rio over Capitol Riots comments

Robert Griffin III was drafted out of Baylor in 2012 by Washington. The quarterback beat out Andrew Luck for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but then saw subsequent seasons marred by injuries.

After moving to the Cleveland Browns and then the Baltimore Ravens in backup roles, Griffin went unsigned in 2021 and turned his attention to being an analyst.

Del Rio referred to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol as a “dust-up” in a recent tweet. He followed this up with more off-putting comments. His trivialization of the event was met with backlash from many, including former Washington quarterback Griffin.

"Jack Del Rio said he is all about love and respect, but comparing the protest over the wrongful public killing of George Floyd to the violent act of treason at the Capital on Jan. 6th isn’t just DISRESPECTFUL AND WILD. It’s irresponsible. A THREAD."

Furthermore, Del Rio condemned the protests and riots following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer. The defensive coordinator’s comparison of the two events seem to imply a support for one group and an animosity towards another.

Griffin also pointed out the comparison Del Rio made, describing him as "insensitive and uniformed."

"When you have a platform to encourage change you don’t diminish the events on Jan. 6th to a “dust up” while trying to change the narrative on the George Floyd protest by dumbing them down to looting and destroying businesses. It’s insensitive and uniformed."

Del Rio has since apologized for his comments, but the sentiment is already out there. Although he insisted he wanted to encourage change, his dismissal of the attack on the Capitol as anything less than treason points to a different belief system altogether.

The comments also resulted in a fine from head coach Ron Rivera and the deletion of his Twitter account.

Robert Griffin echoes the Commanders' condemnation of Del Rio's comments

Rivera also released a statement to the public that made it clear Del Rio’s comments did not reflect the organization's views. He called them hurtful to the community. And though Del Rio certainly has a right to express his opinions, the statement also said:

“…our organization will not tolerate any equivalency between those who demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and actions of those on January 6 who sought to topple our government.”

Griffin didn’t mince words and encouraged others to weigh in on the topic. On top of hurting his own public image and offending fans, Del Rio, no doubt, lost plenty of respect from his players.