Patriots-Panthers Fight in Joint Practice For Second Consecutive Day (Video)

For the second day in a row, a scrum broke out at a joint practice between the Patriots and the Panthers. 

It didn’t take long for tempers to flare on Wednesday. 

On the first rep of the Panthers’ first-team offense against the Patriots’ first-team defense, Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey was tackled near the sideline. He then threw the ball at a New England defender, according to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, prompting a full-scale melee to break out right in front of the bleachers where fans were sitting. 

Players from both teams bunched up and began shoving one another, while video appeared to show that a few punches were thrown. According to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, a handful of Panthers players confronted Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise for supposedly tackling McCaffrey late and pushed him into the stands, where he landed on a woman in the first row. 

Patriots officials were speaking with the woman to ensure that she was O.K., per Curran. The woman reportedly suffered a swollen foot but refused medical treatment, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss and David Newton. 

Wise and Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard were reportedly ejected from the practice as a result of their actions, according to Giardi. 

The large-scale fight wasn’t the only heated moment between the two teams on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Carolina safety Kenny Robinson, who was kicked out of practice on Tuesday for fighting, was ejected once again after taunting New England wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson after a hard hit. 

Panthers coach Matt Rhule addressed both incidents after the workout, saying that his primary thoughts were with the woman who was hit during the larger brawl between the two squads.

“It’s just unfortunate that a day of so much good football–and I know of lot of it will be about what happened–the decision of one or two guys impacts a lot of different people,” Rhule said, per NFL Network’s James Palmer.

Rhule also indicated that he and his staff hadn’t ruled out the possibility of cutting Robinson after the defensive back’s involvement in incidents over the last two days, according to Joe Person of The Athletic.

Wednesday’s scuffle continues a contentious week between the two teams. On Tuesday, Wilkerson and a Panthers coach reportedly got into a spat on the Carolina sideline, resulting in a fight between members of both organizations. New England wideout Kendrick Bourne, who reportedly threw punches in the exchange, Wilkerson and Robinson were kicked out of the practice for their actions, according to Reiss. 

Moments after the initial melee, Patriots center James Ferentz and Carolina defensive tackle Phil Hoskins were ejected from practice for a separate scuffle on Tuesday, per Reiss.

Tensions may have subsided temporarily following Wednesday’s fight, but the Patriots and Panthers have certainly made Friday’s preseason game one to watch. 

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