Washington Commanders terminate tight ends coach Ben Steele after DWI arrest
The Commanders dismissed Ben Steele, who was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and refusing a breath test, and will name a replacement before training camp opens.
The Washington Commanders announced Monday that tight ends coach Ben Steele has been fired, with a new hire expected to be named on Tuesday, a day before the team begins training camp.
According to court records, Steele was arrested on June 7 in Loudoun County, Virginia, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and was additionally charged with obstruction for refusing to submit a blood or breath test at the scene. The team said the termination was due to a violation of its policy and reported the arrest to the NFL.
Steele, 48, had joined the Commanders in February after three seasons as the tight ends coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Prior to that, he held assistant coaching positions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos, and played six seasons in the NFL as an undrafted free agent.
While Steele was on leave, personnel analyst and offensive assistant Wes Welker temporarily coached the tight ends during minicamp.