Commanders 'parting ways' with TE coach Ben Steele following DWI arrest
The news comes one day before Washington opens training camp.
The Washington Commanders announced the firing of tight ends coach Ben Steele on Monday, one day before veterans report for training camp.
According to Loudoun County District Court records, Steele was charged with DWI and obstruction/resist without force on June 7 in Loudoun County.
The Commanders issued a brief statement via social media from the team’s “X” account:
“We are parting ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele. The team will have no further comment at this time.”
Court records show Steele was also charged with “change course after signal,” and that he refused a blood/breath test at the scene. He was later “released on recognizance.”
Steele, 48, was hired on March 2 to fill the vacancy following the promotion of David Raih to passing game coordinator. An NFL assistant since 2013, Steele coached the Arizona Cardinals the previous three seasons before joining Washington.
Washington head coach Dan Quinn is expected to name Steele’s replacement on Tuesday for his pre-camp press conference.
Offensive assistant Wes Welker coached the TE room during the team’s June 16-18 minicamp, according to a source close to the situation.
Steele was not made available when local media interviewed Washington’s offensive assistant coaches on June 10. Reporters were told Raih could handle any TE-related questions.
My favorite social media comment about this — before the DWI part was reported — was some guy saying “good, that unit needs to produce more” as if this keyboard warrior had any mechanism to measure how good Steele was or was doing in the last four months.