New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has an interesting way of disciplining players who fight during joint training camp practices with other teams.
The Patriots held joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this week ahead of Thursday night’s preseason game between the two teams, which Philly won 14-13. On Tuesday, Mayo was asked for his thoughts on fights that often break out during shared practices. Mayo said any starter who gets into a fight during a joint practice will be forced to play the entire preseason game. The opposite is true for reserve players who are hoping for an opportunity to showcase their skills.
“You don’t fight in a real game. If you fight in a real game you get fined, get kicked out. It’s the same thing here,” Mayo said. “My message to the players is if you get in a fight out here, if you’re a starter, you’re gonna play the whole preseason game. If you’re not a starter, you won’t play at all. That’s kind of my mindset with that.”
https://twitter.com/PatriotsCLNS/status/1823363397573833172
Many people were surprised to see Patriots starting linebacker Josh Uche play well into the third quarter on Thursday night. Uche was involved in a scuffle during practice, so there was speculation that he was serving a punishment. Mayo insisted that was not the case, however.
Jerod Mayo says Josh Uche playing deep into the 3Q last night wasn't about the fight he got into at the joint practice on Thursday.
"That wasn't a fight. Scuffles happen all the time." pic.twitter.com/h0fuzTXAbk
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 16, 2024
We have seen some particularly animated brawls during joint practices this summer, and two teams were even fined because of it. One star player also swung a helmet at his teammate during a fight.
Most starters and veteran players would prefer not to play much in the preseason, which is why Mayo has implemented that rule. Of course, he would face a great deal of criticism if he followed through and one of the Patriots’ key players suffered a significant injury. We tend to doubt Mayo will enforce the punishment.
