5:01 p.m. ET
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Well Baby
Close ESPN Staff Writer
- ESPN staff writer
- Previously, he was a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News
- Graduated from the University of North Texas
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Sarah Barshop
Close ESPN Staff Writer
- He covered the Packers for ESPN Milwaukee
- Graduated from Marquette University
CINCINNATI — A fight between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams forced both teams to halt their intersquad practices Thursday, the teams’ final day of joint practices.
On a day full of post-catch matters, a melee broke out during a team drill with the Bengals’ first-team offense and the Rams’ first-team defense. A Rams linebacker who could not be identified from a distance collided with Bengals right tackle La’el Collins. The defender had Collins wrapped up from behind, his arms around his chest, seconds after Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon was a few yards downfield.
Collins took exception and threw punches once he was free, sparking a massive brawl that drew multiple whistles and flags from the officiating crew. Several helmets were removed, and a Cincinnati Enquirer photographer spotted Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald with a Bengal cap in each hand. After practice, a video circulated on Twitter that appeared to show Donald flipping a helmet several times during the scrum.
Players from both teams were scattered around the practice field closest to the street that divides Cincinnati’s practice facility and Paycor Stadium. After a few minutes, the teams decided to put an end to the controversial practice.
Donald declined to comment through a team spokesman, who also said the team would not comment.
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Rams coach Sean McVay said earlier he didn’t want to make a big deal out of the scrimmage, saying in some cases it was just two teams defending each other. Both coaches talked about wanting to be safe and wanting to work with the right amount.
“I just see guys swinging and some are wearing helmets, some aren’t,” McVay said. “There’s a scrum. You never know what can happen. And my biggest concern is unnecessary injuries to the people we have, whether it’s our team or the other team.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said, “He got hurt a little bit.”
“We just named it,” Taylor said. “We were in last [practice] period We had two very good days of work. So was it worth getting the extra couple of plays? No. So we called it.”
It wasn’t the first time Collins was embroiled in a dispute on Thursday. He appeared to be involved in two other fights with a Rams defender. On one occasion, he was replaced in a team practice by Bengals backup tackle D’Ante Smith.
When asked about Collins’ role in the fights, Taylor declined to go into detail. Cincinnati did not make players available after practice.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was the only Los Angeles player to speak to the media, was on the opposite practice field working against the Bengals’ starting defense and did not have details about the incident.
Both teams will have Friday off before closing out the preseason with a game Saturday in Cincinnati. Neither team is expected to play their starters in the final. Taylor said he doesn’t foresee any animosity continuing.
Earlier in the week, Bengals safety Vonn Bell said Taylor relayed a message from team president Mike Brown about the fights after an increase in fights at other teams’ joint practices.
“You never want to be a starter,” Bell said of the message from the front office. “Keep everything clean.”