Mason Taylor shares Brian Kelly's message after LSU's in-practice fight
There were some fireworks in LSU’s practice on Monday when a fight broke out during 11-on-11s. Players on both sides of the ball were involved, and Brian Kelly shared his displeasure afterward.
Tight end Mason Taylor then discussed Kelly’s message to the Tigers.
Taylor told reporters Kelly’s point was about respect for teammates, and the altercation stemmed from the high amount of energy in the locker room. With the players so excited to be back on the field, tensions rose quickly. But, as Kelly said, respect is key.
“Couple days into fall camp, everyone’s excited,” Taylor said after practice. “Everything gets chirpy and they’re excited to be back. Energy’s through the roof. Coach Kelly just said respect the brotherhood. We’ve just got to respect each other.
“At the end of the day, we’re teammates. We’ve got to work together to get each other better. And we’ll do that to the other team, not our team.”
Wide receivers Malik Nabers and Kyren Lacy were sent to the locker room, while linebacker Harold Perkins didn’t play another snap on Monday after the incident, according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander. Kelly wasn’t happy, and The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon reported Kelly called the fight a lack of leadership from the players.
According to Glen West, Kelly said: “We have to be able to maintain our emotions, while staying aggressive. It’s up to you all to figure that out, it’s not something that the staff can do for you. Respect your brother out here always.”
Kelly is entering his second season at LSU after spending 12 seasons at Notre Dame. The Tigers impressed in his first season in Baton Rouge, going 10-4 and winning the SEC West. Expectations are high for LSU in Year 2 under Kelly, and the season will get underway Sept. 3 against Florida State.
As he gets ready for his second go-round with the Tigers, Kelly noted his preparation is a little different this time around.
“I don’t want to overuse this phrase, but I want to say that there should be a realistic expectation that everything we do, we do a little bit better [than last year],” Kelly said. “Does that mean we’re gonna win every game we play? I would like to. But I think you have to have a realistic expectation that the work we did last year we should be able to build upon.
“We go in with the same kind of realistic expectation that we should be making some kind of incremental jump in certain areas. … They should be making those jumps. Freshmen we have to be more patient, we have to teach more, but that’s how I feel about everything we’re doing on a day-to-day basis.”
On3’s Matt Connolly contributed to this report.