Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been fined $100,000 by the team for his comments about protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Coach Ron Rivera announced the fine in a statement Friday after meeting with Del Rio earlier in the day. He said Del Rio’s statements were hurtful to members of the local community and did not reflect the views of the organization.

Asked Wednesday about a social media post he made earlier in the week, Del Rio downplayed the deadly insurrection and questioned why the protests in the summer of 2020 after Floyd’s death were not receiving the same scrutiny. Del Rio called the Jan. 6, 2021, riot “a dust-up at the Capitol,” which he later apologized for.

“He understands the distinction between the events of that dark day and peaceful protests, which are a hallmark of our democracy,” Rivera said in the statement, adding that Del Rio had a constitutional right to voice his opinion. “Words have consequences and his words hurt a lot of people in our community. I want to make it clear that our organization will not tolerate any equivalency between those who demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the actions of those on Jan. 6 who sought to topple our government.”

Rivera said he feels strongly after their conversation that Del Rio “will have a greater understanding for the impact of his language and the values that our team stands for.” He said the money will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

Del Rio, 59, is going into his third season running Washington’s defense on Rivera’s staff and in that time has shared his conservative political views on social media numerous times. A Twitter post Monday night prompted questions to Del Rio after an offseason workout, including whether he was concerned about how his thoughts might go over with players, the majority of whom are Black.

PATRIOTS: New England has parted ways with kicker Quinn Nordin, the undrafted rookie who opened the 2021 season on the 53-man roster.

Nordin never kicked in a game, but to keep Nordin from being claimed on waivers the Patriots actually cut Nick Folk – knowing he’d re-sign – and placed the veteran on the practice squad, using game-day elevations in Week 1 and 2 to get him on the field.

New England has also signed journeyman kicker Tristan Vizcaino, who was most recently with the Chargers. He’s only 25 years old, but the Patriots are his seventh team. He won the job as the Chargers’ starting kicker last season, but was released in October, going 6 for 7 on field goals, but only hitting 10 of 15 extra points.

Folk remains with the Patriots and is considered the starter.

RAIDERS: Las Vegas locked up another key player with a new contract, agreeing to a two-year, $32 million extension with Pro Bowl slot receiver Hunter Renfrow.

Renfrow was entering the final season of his rookie contract after being a fifth-round pick in 2019 and he got a big pay raise based on his breakthrough 2021 season.

Renfrow had 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine TDs as he became quarterback Derek Carr’s most reliable target. The 103 catches were the third most in franchise history, trailing only Darren Waller’s 107 in 2020 and Hall of Famer Tim Brown’s 104 in 1997.

Renfrow has 208 catches for 2,299 yards and 15 TDs in his three seasons in the NFL.

“Hunter is one of the true leaders on this team and he exemplifies the values of the organization in how he comes to work every day,” coach Josh McDaniels said. “He is a tremendous teammate on and off the field and the entire Raider Nation is excited to see what the future holds for Hunter.”

Renfrow is the third key Raiders player to get an extension in the offseason under the new regime led by McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Carr signed a three-year, $120.5 million extension in April and edge rusher Maxx Crosby got a four-year, $94 million deal in March.

PANTHERS: South Carolina’s York County is suing Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s companies and the City of Rock Hill for at least $21 million over the failed completion of the team’s proposed $800 million practice facility and headquarters.

The structure remains half-built in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with no plans of being finished.

Tepper’s real estate company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on June 2 after having invested more than $175 million into the facility. It is located about 25 miles south of the team’s current downtown stadium and headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Among Tepper’s companies named in the lawsuit are DT Sports Holding, LLC, Appaloosa Management LP and Tepper Sports Holding, Inc. York County officials say the purpose of the lawsuit is to protect the county and its taxpayers and recover damages caused by these defendants.

The complaint filed Thursday said Tepper and his companies took $21 million from a special penny sales tax intended to expand a road in York County and used the money for what the county’s lawyers called a “failed vanity project.”

OBIT: Don Perkins, a six-time Pro Bowl running back with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s, has died. He was 84. No cause of death was revealed.

Perkins rushed for 6,217 yards in 107 games with the Cowboys from 1961-68, and is fourth on the team’s career list.