Hurricanes Offer Panthers Backup After Practice Fights With Patriots

Fights broke out at Panthers-Patriots joint practices after a controversial hit on Christian McCaffrey.

This week’s joint practices between the Panthers and Patriots have gotten pretty feisty, with the teams fighting on Tuesday and again Wednesday.

Wednesday’s scrum reportedly began after Carolina star running back Christian McCaffrey was tackled near the sideline, leading him to throw the ball at a Patriots defender. A shoving match ensued, and players on both teams were ejected from practice after the incident.

The Panthers are understandably defensive of their do-it-all back, who has dealt with injury issues throughout his career. They’re not alone, either. After Wednesday’s fight, another local professional sports team—the NHL’s Hurricanes—offered to lend the Panthers an enforcer to help keep McCaffrey out of harm’s way.

Hey @Panthers let us know if you need an enforcer https://t.co/MPIEJUaRRV

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) August 17, 2022

The Raleigh-based hockey team has made four straight playoff trips with division titles in 2020–21 and ’21–22. The Panthers, meanwhile, have missed the playoffs each year during that stretch, going 22–43 since the start of the ’18 campaign. 

If the team can do anything more to keep McCaffrey, who had 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns during his last full season in 2019, healthy, they should probably consider it, even if it means having a few guys with sticks and skates down on the sideline.

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