Panthers-Patriots practice fight (again): Cheap shot on Christian McCaffrey leads to brawl, injury to fan
Things got hectic for the second day in a row as the Patriots vs. Panthers practiced together.
Several players from both sides were thrown out of practice on Tuesday over a brawl that involved punching. What led to this riot is unclear.
On Wednesday, practice between the two teams was derailed when Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a hard hit from Patriots defenseman Deatrich Wise as he headed for the sidelines. NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E Curran reports that Wise’s hit was either on or over the limit, and McCaffrey took offense at this.
MORE: Why the Patriots & Panthers snapped at practice together on Tuesday
Below is a look at the piece.
@ZoandBertrand @scottzolak the game that leads to combat pic.twitter.com/Dv2KnoIWyo
— Mikey Mcdermott (@MikeyInTheTruck) August 17, 2022
After Wise’s goal, McCaffrey peppered the ball at the defensive end before a group of Panthers came at the veteran. They continued to drive Wise to the sidelines as numerous players from both sides joined the mob, which turned into a free fight.
MORE: Bill Belichick gets tested over Patriots play-calling situation
As the players pushed each other, the Panthers threw Wise into the front row of the stands, where he landed on top of a woman. Below are a few angles of the scrap.
Oh yes, we have something going on here pic.twitter.com/DQvgP01Yp5
— AWLSabermetrics (@awlsabermetrics) August 17, 2022
Meanwhile, another fight breaks out @Patriots and @Panther common practice. @Mike Reiss #NFL pic.twitter.com/zeduIBO31T
— Janilson Lopes (@Ja_Lopes_7) August 17, 2022
Patriots officers came to check on the woman immediately after the incident. According to Curran, she was fine and declined medical attention; She was hit in the foot by a helmet.
Just to round out the aftermath of the scrap, the woman in the grandstand where it landed was hit in the foot by a helmet. She refused medical help. The Patriots and their medical team were there quickly to make sure she was okay. She was offered tickets to a game later that year
— Tom E Curran (@tomecurran) August 17, 2022
That fight was one of two fights that took place at Wednesday’s Patriots vs. Panthers practice. The first came after Patriots receiver Kristian Wilkerson suffered an injury following a big hit by Panthers safety Kenny Robinson.
Several Patriots, including special teams coordinator Cameron Achord, went after Robinson when Wilkerson was carted off the field. The duo were responsible for starting the previous day’s fight but no punches were thrown into Wednesday’s cloud of dust.
MORE: Baker Mayfield – ‘Some good, some bad’ in preseason debut with Panthers
Despite this, Robinson was reportedly kicked out of practice for the second day in a row. Wise and Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard appeared to follow him and joined him shortly after the big brawl.
Neither Bill Belichick nor Matt Rhule will be happy with these results.
“We came here not to fight. We came to practice,” Rhule said after Tuesday’s practice session.
Soon enough we’ll see what the duo have to say about how the two teams behaved on Wednesday.