Joint practices during the NFL preseason give teams a chance to work against some unfamiliar opponents and see different schemes than they normally would in a regular practice setting. However, putting two different teams together on one practice field can also result in some pretty heated fights, just like it did between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers on Tuesday.
During a joint practice between the two teams ahead of their preseason game on Friday, things got a little heated following a tackle on Patriots wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson. While the brawl started with pushing, chaos quickly ensued as both benches emptied and players began throwing punches.
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Once the two sides were eventually separated, Patriots receivers Wilkerson and Kendrick Bourne were ejected from the practice for the day along with Carolina safety Kenny Robinson. The two teams tried to continue practicing, but tempers were apparently too high, resulting in yet another fight breaking out less than five minutes later.
This time, the brawl was between Patriots offensive guard James Ferentz and Panthers defensive tackle Phil Hoskins, both of whom were also kicked out of practice following their scuffle.
Eventually, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called his team together for a long discussion, presumably to scold them for their antics.
This was just the first day of joint practices for the two teams. They’re reuniting again on Wednesday for another full day of joint practice and then they will meet against for the preseason game on Friday. So there’s plenty of potential for more scuffles in the coming days.
[BroBible]
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