NFL fines Cowboys, Saints $500K each for joint-practice brawls
The league sanctioned both clubs $500,000 apiece after a fight-plagued joint practice earlier this week in Oxnard, the latest sign the NFL is cracking down on unsportsmanlike conduct at camp.
The NFL has fined the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints $500,000 each for the run of fights that broke out during their joint practice in Oxnard, California, earlier this week. The league's action landed Thursday and was confirmed across the wire by Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): NFL fined the Cowboys and Saints $500,000 each for what it called “the actions that took place at the joint practice between the teams earlier this week.” The Competition Committee has made sportsmanship – including at joint practices – a point of emphasis over the past several years. All clubs were reminded by memo prior to training camp of their responsibility in preventing unsportsmanlike behavior at joint practices that has the potential to result in injury.
The practice itself, held Tuesday, featured double-digit altercations, according to multiple reports. Officials tossed Cowboys outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku after he threw a punch, though other punches went unflagged in the moment. ProFootballTalk reports Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said earlier Thursday that the league had requested film of the session, and that he and Saints head coach Kellen Moore — who have a long shared history with the Cowboys — discussed ending the workout early after failing to get things under control. They pressed on to the end, with neither coach satisfied.
This is not a one-off. The Competition Committee has made sportsmanship at joint practices a point of emphasis for several years, and all 32 clubs were reminded by a memo ahead of training camp of their responsibility to prevent unsportsmanlike behavior that carries injury risk. With multiple brawls across the league this week — including a fight-filled Giants-Dolphins session that also saw players pulled — the fines signal the NFL is willing to put a price tag on the chaos.