Lions, Giants punished by NFL for joint practice fights

Per multiple reports, the NFL has fined both the New York Giants and Detroit Lions $200,000 each for the amount of fights and scuffles that broke out during their pair of joint practices this week.

The first practice on Monday was filled with fights from the beginning to the end, with Lions reporter Kyle Meinke tweeting that it took just two team reps before the first fisticuffs—seen below—broke out.

While coach Dan Campbell said the team needed to ramp up its intensity this time of year, he even admitted on Tuesday morning that the number of scuffles had reached a level in which they were doing more harm than good.

“Certainly too much,” Campbell said. “When you have to stop practice that many times to reset the drill and load it, it’s a waste of everybody’s time. Look, I don’t want those, that’s not what it’s about and I know (Giants coach Brian Daboll) Dabs doesn’t want it. We’ve talked about it, addressed it with the players and that’s part of the balance. It’s, ‘Man, how do you really, really push yourself to compete at the highest level, but you’ve got to keep your composure?’ So, we’re good, we’re going to have a great day today.”

And while the first 80 or so minutes of Tuesday’s practice seem to run much smoother, things got chippy again late in practice. The most notable of scuffles happened after Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers took a jab at Lions safety Kerby Joseph’s face. The Detroit defender caught up with him and the fists started swinging.

In the grand scheme of things, $200,000 isn’t a significant amount for either team, but it does send a message from the NFL that they’re trying to crack down on this moving forward.