Cam Akers kicked out of joint Rams-Raiders practice after exchanging punches with Maxx Crosby
Yet another joint practice fight broke out in the NFL, this time at a Wednesday practice with the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders. The primary combatants: Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and Rams running back Cam Akers.
Akers was kicked out of practice for the fight, according to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, as he ultimately instigated the bout. Crosby remained on the field but was held out for the remainder of that drill period, according to Reed.
The fight apparently started with Crosby chasing down Akers on a run play and trying to punch out the ball.
But Akers took umbrage to Crosby apparently swiping at the ball as the play was effectively dead. After a brief exchange, punches started flying between Akers and Crosby as the rest of the teams got involved in the fracas.
For his efforts, Akers was booted from practice for the day and Crosby, to his own good fortune, dodged being ejected from practice. He had a brief synopsis of the incident after practice.
“I do what I do. He didn’t like it, and he got what he got,” Crosby said, according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
It was an eventful Wednesday before Akers and Crosby mixed it up
Things have been wild at the joint practice between the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday and a scary moment occurred when Jets defensive backs coach Tony Oden collapsed on the field.
According to ESPN NFL Nation reporter Rich Cimini, Oden collapsed on the sideline and was down for a few minutes as medical personnel surrounded him and players hit a knee.
The good news is Cimini reports that Oden was sitting up in a cart as he was taken off the field.
Oden, 50, is going into his third year as an assistant coach with the Jets. He has been at NFL assistant since 2004, spending eight years in the college ranks before making the jump to the pros.
It has certainly been an interesting day at the joint practice, which will likely be featured heavily on the Jets version of HBO’s Hard Knocks. The day started on a somber note, one later echoed by Oden’s collapse.
Tampa Bay receiver Russell Gage was injured when he suffered a non-contact knee injury, leaving players on their knees as trainers tended to him. Gage was carted off.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the injury is believed to be severe enough to end Gage’s season.
When practice eventually resumed following the Gage injury, both teams began to get quite chippy, with multiple skirmishes breaking out during the joint practice.
The first involved New York defensive back Trey Dean, a rookie out of Florida. You can see the tail end of that fight here.
The second fight broke out following a Michael Carter run for the Jets, when offensive lineman Billy Turner decided to get into it with a couple Tampa Bay defenders.
So Crosby and Akers aren’t the only ones coming to blows at NFL practices across the country this Wednesday.