Ben Steele arrest details: Why Commanders parted ways with tight ends coach

The Commanders opened training camp with a surprising coaching change, as the team announced it let tight ends coach Ben Steele go.

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Steele was hired in the offseason as Washington re-made its offensive coaching staff. The 48-year-old most recently was the Arizona Cardinals tight ends coach from 2023-25, and has also coached for the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.

While the timing is out of the blue, Steele’s firing is likely a reaction to when the coach was arrested in Virginia in June. Steele had been on leave since the arrest, with Wes Welker taking over his duties during subsequent practices.

Here are the details on Steele’s firing and arrest.

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Ben Steele arrest details

On June 7, Ben Steele was pulled over and arrested in Loudoun County in Virginia and given four charges, including DWI, obstruction/resist without force and refusing to take a blood/breath test. Steele was also charged with changing course after a signal, which may have been what initiated the arrest in the first place.

According to Virginia court records, Steele was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated on June 7. He faces additional charges for refusing blood/breath test and obstructing or resisting an officer without force.https://t.co/RTtuRm8d19 https://t.co/9Xa0RyOZJ0

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— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 27, 2026

Steele’s hearing is set for August 13.

Ben Steele charges

Steele is facing the following four charges after being arrested on June 7:

• Driving While Intoxicated
• Refusal of Blood/Breath test
• Obstruction/Resist without force
• Change course after signal

This marked Steele’s first DWI offense in the state of Virginia, which comes with at least a $250 fine. Any other punishment typically depends on the results of the breathalyzer test, which Steele refused to take. Steele could also face a suspended driver’s license, and the Obstruction/Resist without force charge is treated as a class one misdemeanor.

Why Commanders parted ways with Ben Steele

The Commanders announced it fired Steele on Monday, but didn’t give a reason why.

«We are parting ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele,» the Washington said in a statement. «The team will have no further comment at this time.»

Nicki Jhabvala reported that the Commanders fired Steele for a violation of team policy, which likely stems from the arrest. The Commanders reported Steele’s arrest to the league and had the coach placed on leave since the arrest occurred.

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