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The NFL has fined the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints $500,000 each for the fighting that took place during the teams’ joint practice in Oxnard, Calif., on Tuesday.
Throughout the two-hour practice session, about eight fights broke out between the teams. At one point, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints head coach Kellen Moore discussed ending the joint session early because of the number of fights.
Brian Schottenheimer addresses fights from Cowboys-Saints joint practice
Jon Machota
“You guys saw the chippiness of it,” Moore said. “Not the ideal flow of a joint practice.”
“Not the way we like to do business,” Schottenheimer said. “We got to be better, but I got to look at the film. We’re certainly not going to take s— from anybody. It was chippy on both sides. I want our guys to play on the edge without going over the edge. One guy sounds like he might have thrown a punch, and that’s why he left practice.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters Thursday that they would be appealing the fine.
“Yes. Yes, we will appeal,” Jones said. “And that’s pretty harsh. I mean, pretty stiff, not harsh, but stiff. But it does make the point that it’s a serious matter and it starts with everybody at all levels of a club — and the clubs in this case where two are practicing together —- it really emphasizes the league’s intent to control it from the very top, which when they start dealing out those kinds of fines, they get your attention.”
Second-year outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was the Dallas player who did not finish practice because of extracurricular activities. It was the second time in the past few weeks that Ezeiruaku had to be removed from the practice fields at Cowboys training camp, with the first incident occurring during a solo Cowboys practice.
“Well, I think that you have to have consequences. That needs to register,” Jones said when asked about Ezeiruaku’s actions. He added that the players involved will be fined by the team.
“Our plan is — I haven’t confirmed where (Ezeiruaku) is in the situation, but the players that are involved and have the kind of infractions that they’re fining the club for, certainly will receive fines.”
Various parts of the fights garnered attention on social media, perhaps none more than a huge pileup that resulted in Saints offensive lineman Erik McCoy emerging with a Cowboys player’s helmet and launching it away from the play. Another incident showed Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson grabbing Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner by the face mask and nearly throwing him to the ground. The second incident also led to Rechsteiner body-slamming Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson while Thompson did not have his helmet on.
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