A joint practice between the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots grew ugly for the second straight day on Wednesday.
In a video shared on social media, players from both teams can be seen scrapping with one another near the sidelines. Some of the players appeared to spill over into the onlooking crowd during the brawl.
For the second day in a row, a brawl has broken out in Foxboro. Several Patriots and Panthers players ejected. Kristian Wilkerson was carted off the field.
pic.twitter.com/vbx00yRT2v— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) August 17, 2022
WCVB-TV reporter Shaun Ganley shared images from the scrum on Twitter.
“Wow. Crazy scene at #PatsCamp,” Ganley wrote. “Large brawl between #Panthers and #Patriots. Fan appears to have been injured in the brawl.”
Wow. Crazy scene at #PatsCamp. Large brawl between #Panthers and #Patriots. Fan appears to have been injured in the brawl. 2/x pic.twitter.com/Bfaxv7MJKs
— Shaun Ganley (@sganley) August 17, 2022
Does this make you nervous to attend NFL practices?
Initially, Ganley said a fan who appeared to get caught up in the action did not seem to need further medical attention.
“Good news is that the fan in the stands doesn’t appear to need further treatment,” he wrote. “First time I’ve ever seen an NFL brawl just push into the stands. Wow. Both days of this practice has been very chippy.”
Good news is that the fan in the stands doesn’t appear to need further treatment. First time I’ve ever seen an NFL brawl just push into the stands. Wow.
.
Both days of this practice has been very chippy.— Shaun Ganley (@sganley) August 17, 2022
Yet about an hour after that tweet, Ganley shared photos of the fan getting looked at by medical staff.
Almost an hour later, now looks like that fan in the stands is getting checked out. #PatsCamp #patriots pic.twitter.com/G4SaSZL6jT
— Shaun Ganley (@sganley) August 17, 2022
Wednesday’s brawl came after two separate brawls between the Panthers and Patriots at their first joint practice on Tuesday, USA Today’s PanthersWire reported.
Panthers safety Kenny Robinson, who was ejected for participating in a brawl on Tuesday, reportedly hit Patriots receiver Kristian Wilkerson during a kickoff drill on Wednesday. Wilkerson was shaken up and remained down on the field, which apparently caused heated tensions between the two teams once again.
A little while later, Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise laid a big hit on Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey near the sideline. McCaffrey took exception with the hit and threw the ball at Wise, which started the brawl according to NBC Sports Boston reporter Tom Curran.
The skinny on the scrap from folks in the stands. Deatrich Wise hit Christian McCaffrey at or over boundary and hit him pretty good. McCaffrey spiked ball at him. More than one Panther descended on Wise and drove him into stands where he landed on woman in first row.
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) August 17, 2022
A video captured by a fan reportedly showed the play leading up to the brawl. McCaffrey appeared to be near the sideline when Wise lowered his shoulder and drove through him, causing McCaffrey to tumble to the ground. It was unclear whether McCaffrey had already stepped out of bounds before the hit.
Fan footage of the play that led up to the big fight near stands. pic.twitter.com/EHcfYtOlgp
— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) August 17, 2022
Following the conclusion of practice, Curran reported the woman in the stands was struck in the foot by one of the players’ helmets. She told the Patriots’ medical team she was OK, and they offered her tickets to a game later in the year.
Just to tie off the scrap aftermath, the woman in the stands who was landed on was hit in the foot by a helmet. She refused medical attention. The Patriots and their medical team were there quickly to make sure she was ok. She was offered tickets to a game later this year
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) August 17, 2022
The NFL season officially kicks off on Sept. 8, and if this is practice is any indication, these two teams are ready to hit the gridiron.
