Cowboys and Saints receive hefty fine for brawl
The Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints have been fined $500,000 apiece by the NFL after their brawl-filled joint practice Tuesday.
The league announced the fines Thursday after requesting video of the tumultuous workout at the Cowboys ‘ training camp base in Oxnard, California.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his team will appeal the “pretty stiff” fine, even though he understood why the NFL issued such a hefty penalty. The Cowboys also plan to fine their own players who were involved in the fracases.
“The Competition Committee has made sportsmanship – including at joint practices – a point of emphasis over the past several years,” the league said in a statement. “All clubs were reminded by memo prior to training camp of their responsibility in preventing unsportsmanlike behavior at joint practices that has the potential to result in injury.”
Players from the Cowboys and the Saints threw punches during several skirmishes throughout the joint practice, which was conducted in uncommonly hot, humid weather in the coastal town.
A lowlight of the brouhaha was Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner’s body slam of Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson in a move worthy of Rechsteiner’s father, pro wrestler Scott Steiner. Saints center Erik McCoy threw a Cowboys helmet high in the air during one scrap, while McCoy and Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku threw punches at each other in an ugly sequence that ended with Ezeiruaku getting thrown out of practice for the second time in camp.
“All of that makes it a real focal point of the league to stay within good sport, and the taking of helmets off and swinging and hitting and that type of thing is not good for anybody, and it’s certainly not what we want to represent to our fans as a league or as a team,” Jones said Thursday in Oxnard. “And so it’s understandable how they’re coming with real severe fines.”
Jones said the size of the NFL’s financial penalty “does make the point that it’s a serious matter. … 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.”
Saints coach Kellen Moore and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer nearly called off the practice early after repeated post-whistle scuffles. Schottenheimer called the workout “a little chippy. Not the way we like to do business.”
“Obviously there was non-football stuff in that joint practice, unfortunately,” Moore said Thursday before the fines were announced.
Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. did quarterback drills, seven-on-seven work and mental reps as his Atlanta Falcons teammates squared off with the Indianapolis Colts during two days of joint practice. Penix is an Indiana University graduate and he threw in front of some familiar fans about 90 miles northwest of the Bloomington campus. He’s coming off his third surgery for a torn ACL and the first in his left knee. Penix says he’s not frustrated by the pace of his rehab. The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, but he has struggled in camp, including against the Colts.
Vikings
Minnesota Vikings wide receivers have had an eventful week with the Baltimore Ravens visiting for joint practices. Hall of Famer Randy Moss was a guest of the Vikings and took time to give advice to players at his old position. The Vikings also went through two days of tough tests against the Ravens’ defense under the direction of new coach Jesse Minter. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey presented Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson plenty of challenges in a matchup of two-time All-Pros.
Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, and it’s possible that the fourth-year player will be ready for Week 1. Williams started 10 games last season before suffering a torn Achilles tendon on Dec. 21 – roughly eight months ago. He’s expected to be in the mix for playing time among a deep position group that includes Sean Murphy-Bunting, Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, Starling Thomas and Max Melton. Williams is a third-round pick out of Stanford in 2023. He has played in 35 career games with 27 starts and has four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Lions
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is out with a hip injury and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw might be sidelined with a lower-leg injury. Detroit coach Dan Campbell says he is hopeful LaPorta’s injury won’t linger into the season. He spoke to reporters before Rakestraw was hurt. LaPorta is coming off season-ending back surgery and was injured earlier in the week. Rakestraw left Thursday’s practice early and was evaluated for a lower-leg injury.
Commanders
Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn revealed that “a good amount of starters” will play during Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Almost all of Washington’s starters did not play during last week’s preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins. Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles was one of the few exceptions. However, Quinn did not commit to playing starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.