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The San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns had a notable pre-game scuffle ahead of their Week 6 matchup.
Due to that instance and other similar cases throughout the league, the NFL has now stepped in to discourage players and teams from this type of behavior.
FIGHT!
49ers Browns pregame
On Sunday, October 22, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported the league sent out a memo to every team outlining the new potential punishments and guidelines for pre-game fights.
“Last week, there were several instances of pre-game fights,” Rapoport reported on X. “The NFL has now sent a memo to teams saying sportsmanship and respect are at the core of NFL football, and fighting is “irreconcilable” with these values.”
Rapoport went on to say the memo outlined three key points moving forward, effective immediately.
– Teams must warm up within their own 45-yard line
-Players can be disqualified for actions that happen pregame
– Video will be used to determine if pregame actions warrant discipline after the fact
NFL Memo Is A Significant Development
While Rapoport sent out the basics of the memo on X, Pro Football Talk released the full version and the new rules are even more intense than what Rapoport originally reported.
“We will strictly enforce these policies, with both NFL Football Operations staff and Game Officials closely monitoring team activities prior to and during the Official Team Warm-Up Period,” the memo explains.
According to Pro Football Talk, the memo warns that players and others could be ejected for fighting before and during a game, along with other potential punishments. Also, the memo says that teams could be subject to the loss of draft picks and/or significant fines.
The report noted “more significant accountability measures” might apply to teams whose players or non-players “join a fight already in progress.”
Losing draft picks feels like the most extreme example, but it’s obvious the league isn’t messing around.
The 49ers & Browns Weren’t the Only Culprits
While there are often pre-game scuffles ahead of NFL games, Week 6 featured two fairly significant high-profile instances that clearly led to swift action from the league.
Just before the start of Monday night’s showdown between the Chargers and Cowboys, the ESPN broadcast showed a pre-game fight between the two teams where Chargers’ running back Austin Ekeler took a fairly significant blow to the face from Dallas LB Dante Fowler Jr.
The ESPN #MNF broadcast begins with a good look at the Cowboys-Chargers pregame fight (led by Dante Fowler Jr. hitting Austin Ekeler in the face).
As Pro Football Talk pointed out, there weren’t any fines or suspensions imposed following the pre-game fights last week, but those instances clearly led to the league taking major action.
It’s safe to say there will be far fewer pre-game brawls moving forward, but if they do happen, teams and players are likely to face instant repercussions.
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49ers-Browns Brawl Helped Spring Harsh NFL Rules on Pre-Game Fights