New York Giants head coach Joe Judge told reporters regarding the team’s joint practice with the Cleveland Browns that “we didn’t fly across the country to get into a fistfight.” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski voiced a similar tone with his team.
Clearly, wide receiver Sterling Shepard and cornerback Troy Hill didn’t get the message.
On the heels of a rather quiet first day of joint practice at the Browns facility in Berea, Ohio, things got a bit rowdier on Friday. While quarterback Daniel Jones was meeting with members of the media, unbeknownst to NJ Media Group’s Art Stapleton and his fellow beat reporters, Jones’ returning leading receiver was squaring off with the Browns’ seven-year veteran.
Per Ari Meirov of MySportsUpdate, the two both reportedly swung on each other, sans any connection from either party, before the scuffle was broken up by teammates.
Photos of #Giants WR Sterling Shepard and #Browns CB Troy Hill going at it today, via @clevelanddotcom. Both players squared up, Shepard was able to duck a punch, and then a teammate got Shepard out of there.
As seen in the video footage shared by Cleveland.com, fellow wideout John Ross can be spotted quickly pulling Shepard away from the conflict and lifting him off the ground. Giants’ offensive tackle Matt Peart did his part as well, blocking Hill from further going after Shepard.
A clip of the end of the fight between Browns CB Troy Hill and Giants WR Sterling Shepard. #Browns
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Shepard Talks With Media, Tiptoes Around Scuffle
The root of the fight between Shepard and Hill may have ultimately stemmed from a back-and-forth the two had during practice. Hill delivered a nice pop on Shepard after the wideout caught a pass from Daniel Jones. The wideout reapproached Hill, leading to the two mouthing off with one another and butting heads. Talkin’ Giants’ Bobby Skinner shared the footage:
Apparently Sterling Shepard & Troy Hill got into it after Giants-Browns joint practice
This occurred during practice
Following the scuffle, a shirtless Shepard met with the media where some clearly still hadn’t received word of what had just occurred. In return, the first question Shepard was met with was whether he was surprised no fights broke out during practice. In the words of NJ Media Group’s Zack Rosenblatt, Shepard proceeded to answer the question as if the brawl “didn’t happen.”
“No, it’s friendly competition,” Shepard said. “That’s what we came out here for, it’s competition. It’s going to get into a talking match, it’s going to get physical out there. This is football. This is what we do. They understand.”
Shepard Praises Competitive Practice
While the 28-year-old Oklahoma native may have evaded answering questions regarding the fight, Shepard did make note of the uptick in the competitive juices that were flowing during Friday’s practice session.
“We got a feel for it yesterday but we didn’t have that juice we had today, but that’s what it’s all about,” he stated. “That’s why we came out here: To get good work. I felt like that’s what we got today.”
Evidently, the media wasn’t the only ones late to the news of Shepard and Hill’s back-and-forth. When asked about the situation after practice, coach Stefanski admitted he hadn’t even heard about it yet.
“I did not. That is news to me. Thank you for breaking that to me. I do not know,” Stefanski said.
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Giants’ Sterling Shepard Throws Punches at Browns Joint Practice [LOOK]