The NFL has fined the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints $500,000 each following a massive brawl during a joint practice session on Tuesday.
The financial penalties represent the league's first enforcement action under strict new conduct guidelines issued to all 32 franchises ahead of preseason training camp.
Tensions between the teams boiled over earlier in the week during shared practice drills. Eye-witnesses counted at least six separate fights breaking out, with video footage showing helmets being ripped off and thrown across the practice field.
Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was ejected for throwing a punch. In another incident, Saints receiver Brock Rechsteiner, son of WWE legend Scott Steiner, was filmed suplexing Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson in a wild scene.
Joint practices are traditional preseason sessions where two NFL teams combine training operations to scrimmage against opposing rosters before official exhibition games begin.
League memo and conduct rules
The fines follow a crackdown launched by the NFL after sending a memo titled 'Conduct at Training Camps' to all chief executives, presidents, general managers and head coaches on July 14.
The memo laid out best practices regarding conduct at joint practices and warned that coaches and players are held to the highest standards of professionalism and sportsmanship. It reminded teams of their responsibility to prevent unsportsmanlike behavior at joint practices to reduce the potential for injury.
Under the guidelines, player fighting results in individual fines, club fines, and potential loss of practice time. The memo stated that all clubs engaging in joint practices should notify players and staff that fighting and unprofessional conduct will not be tolerated.
The league office warned it will hold clubs and individuals accountable if personnel engage in unsportsmanlike behaviors that result in injury or have the potential to cause injury. Accountability measures include fines, suspensions, draft choice forfeiture, change in draft position, or other competitive consequences, with head coaches held responsible for managing practice intensity.
Head coaches and players react
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed in the aftermath that he and Saints head coach Kellen Moore contemplated cutting the practice short. He shared that the NFL requested video footage to review, admitting that "nobody wants this" while speaking to the media.
"We kind of had agreed that if a couple of other things happened, we would cancel it, but they worked through it," Schottenheimer said. "Again, they settled into it, but again, there's a discipline element to playing this football game, and unfortunately we didn't handle that very well today."
Saints head coach Moore admitted it was "not the ideal flow of joint practice" but insisted his team "got the work that we needed." He added: "Obviously, you guys saw all the chippiness of it."
Saints linebacker Pete Werner highlighted the balance between intensity and discipline. "You don't want punches thrown or anything like that. But you want your guys protecing each other," Werner said. "You can also say that for the other team. There's a part of it that's good. Other part where it's, 'Let's be smart here. Let's get this moving.'"
Upcoming preseason schedule
Following their heated joint practice, the Cowboys and Saints are scheduled to meet in a preseason game on August 28.
Before that matchup, Dallas will play the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, while New Orleans travels to Los Angeles to face the Rams.
The Dallas Cowboys are based in Frisco, Texas, and compete in the NFC East division of the NFL, while the New Orleans Saints compete in the NFC South division. Both franchises are completing their preseason preparations ahead of the regular NFL season.
