Several teams were involved in physical altercations during pregame warmups in Week 6, and the NFL is determined to put a stop to that going forward.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk obtained a memo that was sent from the NFL to all 32 teams this week addressing fights among players.
“Sportsmanship and respect are at the core of NFL football, and fighting is irreconcilable with these values,” the memo states. “Fighting is never acceptable, as it risks unnecessary injury to players, coaches, officials, and other game day personnel. These actions send an inappropriate and unacceptable message to players, coaches, and fans at all other levels of the game.”
The memo reinforced steps that will be taken to enforce the rules, noting that officials and NFL Football Operations staffers will be “closely monitoring team activities prior to and during the Official Team Warm-Up Period.” The memo states that players can be ejected and subject to league discipline even if involved in an altercation before kickoff.
Perhaps most notably, the NFL warned that teams could be subject to the loss of draft picks and/or significant fines.
The league also reminded teams that they are required to warm-up in their designated areas within their own 45-yard lines.
Last Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns got into a pregame fight after Deebo Samuel shoved a Browns player. Then on Monday, Austin Ekeler was at the center of a scrum between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers.
