Tensions have been running high throughout the NFL during the lead-up to the regular season. The sport’s innate physicality has the ability to boil over after a play is declared dead. Just ask the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, who had numerous fights during their joint practices last week.
The New England Patriots are next in line for a joint practice when they host the Philadelphia Eagles. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is well aware of the potential for fights during this time, so he laid out ground rules for his team when it comes to physical altercations.
“You don’t fight in a real game. You fight in a real game, you get fined, you get banned.” May told the media“My message to the players: if they get into a fight here, if they are a starter, they will play the entire preseason game. If they are not a starter, they will not play at all.”
To help limit the chance of a fight breaking out, Mayo also favored limiting joint practice to a single day. Typically, these types of practices are multi-day events.