Washington
Monte Coleman, a mainstay of Washington’s Super Bowl teams, dead at 68
Monte Coleman, a linebacker who played for all three of Washington’s Super Bowl championship teams, has died. He was 68.
The Commanders announced his death on April 26, a post on the team’s X account stating: “We mourn the loss of one of the greatest to ever suit up in the Burgundy & Gold, Monte Coleman.
“Our heartfelt condolences are with his loved ones.”
Team owner Josh Harris offered provide further thoughts.
“Monte Coleman was one of the greatest players in Washington history,” read Harris’ statement. “He was one of the pillars of our championship defenses having played for all three Super Bowl winning teams. His durability and leadership set the standard for what it meant to suit up for the Burgundy & Gold.
“Monte will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Coleman family, his friends and all who knew him.”
Drafted in the 11th round from Central Arkansas in 1979, Coleman quickly became a fixture in Washington, playing all 16 of his NFL seasons for the organization. Though he wasn’t adorned with personal accolades at a time when the likes of Hall of Famers Mike Singletary, Harry Carson and Jack Lambert were among the league’s best-known off-ball linebackers, Coleman was nevertheless a linchpin of defenses that were so crucial to Washington’s success under head coach Joe Gibbs in the 1980s and early ’90s. The club played in Super Bowls 17, 18, 22 and 26 during that period, winning all but Super Bowl 18, when the underdog Los Angeles Raiders derailed them.
Coleman was a steadying presence for those teams and led the league in tackles in 1980 with 118, the first of three seasons when he hit the century mark. He finished his career in 1994 with 17 interceptions and 49½ sacks. His 215 regular-season appearances are second-most in franchise history, trailing only Coleman’s longtime teammate, Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green. Coleman also played in 21 playoff games, including those four Super Bowls − totaling 1½ Super Sunday sacks.
A mainstay in the Washington community, Coleman was named to the team’s Ring of Fame in 2015.
He also served as the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff from 2008 to 2017.
“Coach Coleman represented everything we strive for at UAPB excellence, integrity, and a relentless commitment to developing our student-athletes,” the school’s vice chancellor and director of athletics, Chris Robinson, said in a statement.
“His legacy is not only written in championships and honors, but in the lives he changed every single day.”
No cause of death was provided.
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Armed Secret Service agents stand on stage during a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday in Washington, D.C. According to reports, President Donald Trump, along with other government officials, were rushed from the Washington Hilton after reports of gun shots.
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The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner ended abruptly Saturday night after gunfire was exchanged between suspect Cole Allen and Secret Service agents at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. One agent was injured after having been shot in his bulletproof vest and has been released from the hospital.
President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and several White House staff and cabinet members, who were not injured, were rushed from the hotel.
Allen, who is believed to have traveled from Torrance, Calif. to Washington, D.C., was arrested on the scene and is currently in custody.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller and his wife Katie Miller are taken out of the ballroom by security agents during a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday.
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Attendees at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner hide under tables after reports of gunshots at a security screening area at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday.
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Members of the National Guard respond with weapons drawn at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other cabinet officials were rushed out of the hotel during the event when a gunman shot a U.S. Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint inside.
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Secret service agents respond after shots were fired during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
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Secret service agents respond to shots fired during the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday.
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Vice President J.D. Vance walks back stage at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday. Several government officials were rushed from the hotel after a shooting incident at a security screening area.
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DC Fire and EMS units arrive at the Washington Hilton Hotel where shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, are evacuated from the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington on Saturday.
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President Donald Trump holds a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
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Law enforcement officials respond to an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, as people stand and watch on Saturday in Torrance, Calif.
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FBI officers leave the scene after responding to an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Sunday in Torrance, Calif.
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FBI agents work on Sunday at an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before.
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Members of the media work near the Washington Hilton hotel on Sunday, where a shooting incident occurred the night before at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
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Shattered glass at the Washington Hilton hotel on Sunday, where a shooting incident occurred the night before at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
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Merve Berker
26 April 2026•Update: 26 April 2026
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated Saturday night from the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington, DC, after a security-related incident at the event.
Trump and top-level administration officials seated by him at the head table were escorted out by Secret Service agents as part of heightened security measures, while other guests remained inside the Washington Hilton ballroom.
The president and Vice President JD Vance were later reported to be “safe and secure.”
Witnesses reported hearing loud noises during the event.
“We were sitting here, and we just heard a loud ‘pop, pop, pop.’ Everybody just went under the table, and we didn’t know what was happening,” broadcaster NewsNation quoted its White House correspondent Kellie Meyer as saying.
The head table was rushed off the stage as part of security measures, while other guests remained inside the ballroom.
Meyer said she observed Cabinet members being escorted out of the venue.
Further details were not immediately available regarding the nature of the incident or any injuries.
Host Weija Jiang later informed guests that the event would resume at a later time.
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