The Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints have each been fined $500,000 by the NFL following the multiple fights that broke out during their joint training camp practice Tuesday in Oxnard, California, the league announced Thursday.
The fines come after punches were thrown on both practice fields, play was stopped multiple times, a helmet was tossed in one confrontation and a player was body-slammed in another. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore had briefly discussed ending the session early before deciding to run it to its scheduled conclusion.
The NFL said its Competition Committee has emphasized sportsmanship at joint practices and that all clubs were reminded by memo before training camp of their responsibility for preventing unsportsmanlike behavior that could result in injury.
What the Cowboys owner said
Jones called the fine stiff and excessive but said the team will appeal. He acknowledged the fine makes a meaningful point and said that when the league starts issuing penalties of that magnitude, it gets a club’s attention.
Jones said the game’s physical nature makes it easy for aggressive temperaments to escalate in a practice setting without the stakes of an actual game providing a natural check. He called helmet removal and swinging something that is not good for anyone and not what the league or the team wants to represent to fans.
He indicated the Cowboys will also fine individual players who were involved in the fighting, which is permissible under the collective bargaining agreement. Jones was specifically asked about Donovan Ezeiruaku, the edge rusher who was ejected from Tuesday’s practice for throwing a punch. It was the second time this training camp that Ezeiruaku was removed for the same conduct. Jones said he believes Ezeiruaku has the capability to understand consequences.
What the Saints coach said
Moore said on Thursday that there was a lot of non-football activity in Tuesday’s joint practice and that he was glad the session with the Rams on Thursday was a clean one. He also cited the Saints’ joint practice with Jacksonville the previous week as one that went well.
The league’s position and appeal process
The NFL’s statement cited the pre-training-camp memo it sends to all clubs reminding them of their responsibilities at joint practices. The timing of the statement, two days after the incident, reflects the league’s review of the practice film, which Schottenheimer had said Tuesday that the NFL had already requested.
Team fines at this level are appealable, and Jones said the Cowboys intend to exercise that option. The Saints have not yet made a public statement about whether they will also appeal.
The $500,000 per club penalty is among the more significant for practice conduct in recent memory. The NFL’s Competition Committee has been increasingly attentive to sportsmanship at joint practices as they have become more common on the preseason calendar. The Cowboys and Saints will play each other in the preseason finale on Aug. 28.
