Getty scuffle
Perhaps this New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers joint practice wasn’t a good idea after all. The two teams got into a fight for the second day in a row on Wednesday, and this one spilled into the crowd where Patriots defensive tackle Deatrich Wise landed on a female fan during the fracas.
What Led to the Fight Between the Patriots and Panthers?
The woman received medical attention but was not injured. Tensions boiled over when Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey was tackled near the sidelines by Wise.
The hit came near the out-of-bounds boundary, and McCaffrey took exception to the tackle. He spiked the ball in Wise’s direction, which prompted the scuffle. NBC Sports’ Tom E. Curran was on hand and gave his account:
The skinny on the scrap from folks in the stands. Deatrich Wise hit Christian McCaffrey at or over boundary and hit him pretty good. McCaffrey spiked ball at him. More than one Panther descended on Wise and drove him into stands where he landed on woman in first row.
Here is a look at the play that led to the fight from Boston Cream.
Christian McCaffrey rocked by a Patriot. Leads to a fight.
Several Panthers players came to McCaffrey’s aid, launching Wise into the crowd, where he landed on the fan.
The Patriots-Panthers Fight Video
Here is a look at the fight that seemed to get fans in the area a bit scared as the large men came tumbling in their direction.
AWLSabermetrics captured the video.
O yea we got something going here
Mikey McDermott had an even better view of the skirmish, which shows just how up close and personal it was for fans.
@MikeyInTheTruck @scottzolak @ZoandBertrand Better view right here
More Details on the Fan’s Condition
Several media members offered updates on the woman’s condition after the scrum, and joint practice was over. Curran had the following details on the woman Wise fell on.
Just to tie off the scrap aftermath, the woman in the stands who was landed on was hit in the foot by a helmet. She refused medical attention. The Patriots and their medical team were there quickly to make sure she was ok. She was offered tickets to a game later this year
Morey Hershgordon of WPRI added more details:
Will the NFL Speak With the Patriots and Panthers About the Brawl?
Tuesday’s scraps probably wouldn’t have moved the needle. Still, it would not be surprising if the NFL contacts both the Patriots and Panthers about their behavior at these events that are open to fans and do not provide the same boundaries between the players and the crowd that real games and stadiums have in place.
The story’s tone would have been entirely different had the woman been seriously injured. It is likely, or at least advisable, for the NFL to do something to curtail similar activities before they become a liability.
Wise was ejected from joint practice due to his participation in the scrap. This is the second day in a row the Patriots have had to eject players for fighting. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who had an all-around tough go on Tuesday, was ejected during the first scrimmage with the Panthers.
Carolina’s Kenny Robinson was another negative element between the two teams. The fight that spilled into the stands was actually the second scrap of the day. The first one was reportedly caused by Robinson taunting Patriots wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson after a hit that left the latter injured.
According to NFL.com’s Mike Giardi, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule didn’t like Robinson’s behavior and kicked him out of practice for the second straight day.
Rhule not pleased with Kenny Robinson for his hit on Kristian Wilkerson. That led to the first fight and got Robinson kicked out of practice for a 2nd straight day. Rhule said the drill was suppose be thud only. Didn’t like Robinson standing over Wilkerson either. #Panthers
The Patriots’ respected leader and veteran Matthew Slater took exception to the taunting over an injured player, per Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels.
Matthew Slater’s issue with Kenny Robinson was him taunting Kristian Wilkerson when everyone saw him suffer what appeared to be a serious injury
These elections undermine the purpose of the joint practices, which is to get both teams live reps against other NFL competition that isn’t on the same club. Per NESN’s Zack Cox, Patriots veteran Jalen Mills echoed these sentiments in a post-practice media session.
Jalen Mills on the fights: “It definitely slows practice down. It’s not something that we want. It’s not winning football.”
It also sets the stage for Thursday night’s exhibition contest between the two teams. While things can be different once the teams compete in an NFL stadium and before even more fans, it is logical to wonder if any bad blood will spill over from the spirited and somewhat reckless joint practices.
The Panthers, more specifically Robinson, seem to be painted as the villain. The blame may be justifiable, but the Patriots will likely need to be more disciplined and controlled as the regular season approaches to escape unnecessary and potentially damaging penalties.