A battle erupted between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams during a joint practice on Thursday.
Blows were thrown, helmets too. So much so that Raiders coach Jon Gruden had to send his players back on the bus.
The tension had already been felt on Wednesday, but things got worse today.
“Enough of this nonsense. It’s not good for football, it’s not good for anyone, so practice is over,” Gruden said an hour after the event, back at the hotel.
“They are better than that. It’s not everyone who fought, but it will be on TV. You will see a gang of guys yelling at each other, but it started between two special teams guys. The rest was trashtalk which degenerated. It’s disgusting, stupid. These are childishness. »
Rams coach Sean McVay said he was disappointed he ended practice early.
“We were almost done, so it was the decision to make given the tension that reigned. I didn’t see what happened, but I’m just glad no one was hurt. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have time to finish, but that’s all I have to say on that. »
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was out of uniform Thursday because of the veterans’ day off, said that’s nothing new for him.
“Honestly, every time I’ve attended joint training, there have been skirmishes. Seeing how physical it was yesterday, I was pretty sure it was going to explode today,” Donald explained.
“I like the fighting spirit, I think it’s good for the team a bit,” added Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. “Everyone is tired at this stage of camp. I don’t mind, as long as no one gets hurt. »
