Multiple Panthers players ejected after second day of fighting during Patriots joint practices
The Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are only in the middle of their joint practices but they’ve already had two consecutive days of fighting. After defensive back Kenny Robinson was ejected for a fight on Tuesday, another scuffle on Wednesday resulted in a second ejection for the former West Virginia standout.
According to reporters watching practice Wednesday, a rough tackle on Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey during 11-on-11 drills led to him throwing the ball at a Patriots player. A fight ensued there, leading to ejections for Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard and Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise.
On the other field, Kenny Robinson stood over Krisitan Wilkerson after the Pats returner went down with an injury on a kickoff return. A fight broke out over that taunting and Wilkerson left the field on a cart.
During the Tuesday incident, two Patriots wide receivers, Kendrick Bourne and Kristian Wilkerson fought with Kenny Robinson, a defensive back on the Panthers. All three were sent off the field. However, more players became involved in the altercation.
Later in the practice, Patriots offensive lineman James Ferentz and Panthers defensive lineman Phil Hoskins were also ejected. Ferentz is the son of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, where he also played his college football.
Patriots, Panthers brawling ahead of preseason game
The Patriots and Panthers will play in a preseason game against each other on Friday, August 19. The two teams will continue using joint practices to prepare for the game. Whether or not tempers continue to flare up remains to be seen.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick had plenty of praise for Matt Rhule before joint practices started. At the same time, Rhule also praised Belichick, saying, “I just know everything they do is first class.”
“(I have a) ton of respect for Matt Rhule,” the Patriots coach said. “He turned out a lot of good players at Baylor. Had a good connection with him when he was at Temple. He’s a football guy. So we have a lot in common there. We love football.”
“It’s a new look. Individual matchups are good … schemes are different … less predictability of practice,” Bill Belichick also explained about joint practices, clearing up why the Patriots and Panthers would want to work together.
On3’s Daniel Morrison contributed to this report.