Fight Breaks Up Rams-Bengals Practice

A fight broke out on the last day of joint practice.

A fight broke out on the last day of joint practice.

Thursday was the last day of joint practice between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. Midway into the day’s drills, a fight suddenly broke out between the members of the Bengals’ offensive line and the Rams’ defensive line.

Based on footage taken from a distance of the fight, a member of the Rams grabbed Bengals right tackle La’el Collins during a drill. Collins responded by shaking free and throwing punches, which prompted other teammates to get involved, either to get aggressive themselves or attempt to break up the fight. Several players on both teams could be seen removing their helmets and swinging them.

After a minute of conflict, the teams broke up, and the practice was cut short. As per NFL policy, the league will leave it up to the individual team owners and managers to determine if any punishment is necessary for the fight.

Rams coach Sean McVay is personally of the opinion that no drastic action is necessary. “I just see guys swinging and some guys have helmets on, some don’t,” McVay said. “There’s a scrum. You just never know what can occur. And my biggest concern is just unnecessary injuries for people that we’re counting on, whether it’s for our team or the other team.”

Bengals coach Zac Taylor concurred, saying “It just got a little scuffley.”

“We just called it,” Taylor said. “We were in the last [practice] period. We got two really good days of work. So was it worth getting the extra couple of plays? No. So we called it.”