Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is not only a Pro Bowl talent on the field, but he’s also a respected leader. One of Washington’s team captains, Allen, is a player who commands respect and always says and does the right things.
On Wednesday, J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington caught up with Allen after OTAs to discuss defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s recent tweets. Del Rio had made headlines with his tweets and referred to the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol as a “dust-up,” for which he later apologized.
Finlay asked Allen if any of Del Rio’s opinions make news in the locker room.
“Not really, to be honest with you,” Allen answered. “Me personally, I stay away from it; I’ve heard about it, but I don’t get on specifically, so I don’t have really have to answer questions.”
In clear Allen fashion, he went deeper with his answer, stressing that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
“But in my opinion, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” Allen said. “Some guys decide to share it on Twitter; some guys don’t. It doesn’t make one person better than the other. And at the end of the day, you can have a difference in opinion and still respect one another. I feel like that’s what our country is about; that’s what our team is about.”
As far as Del Rio goes, there are no issues between him and his coach.
“Me personally, I don’t care about his opinion,” Allen said. “As long as he shows up every day and he works hard, that’s what I want from my defensive coordinator.”
Allen is an important voice in Washington’s locker room. Many will forget Del Rio’s tweets if the Commanders get their defense back on track in 2022. But if the defense struggles again, well, things could get interesting.
I asked Jonathan Allen about Jack Del Rio’s tweets – it’s a smart answer to a complicated question – “At the end of the day you can a difference of opinion and still respect one another” pic.twitter.com/mvVl0X0l5G
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 8, 2022