Cowboys and Saints fined $500,000 apiece by NFL after brawl-filled joint practice

The Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints faced fines of $500,000 each from the NFL following a brawl-filled joint practice on Tuesday. The league's decision came after they reviewed video footage of the tumultuous workout held at the Cowboys' training camp in Oxnard, California. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed his team's intention to appeal the "pretty stiff" fine, explaining that his team understood why the NFL imposed such a heavy penalty.

The Competition Committee has emphasized sportsmanship, especially during joint practices, throughout the years, reminding clubs well before training camp of their responsibility in preventing unsportsmanlike behavior that could lead to injury. During the Tuesday practice, players from both teams engaged in several skirmishes, with Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner performing a body slam on Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson and Saints center Erik McCoy tossing a Cowboys helmet into the air.

Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku also faced disciplinary action, being ejected from practice for the second time in camp for his involvement in an ugly sequence of punches with Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku. Team coaches, Kellen Moore and Brian Schottenheimer, nearly called off the practice early due to the repeated post-whistle scuffles.

Moore and Jones stressed the seriousness of the league's message regarding good sportsmanship, with Jones emphasizing that the fine served to emphasize the NFL's intent to control this behavior from the top down. The Saints will continue their practices in California before a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, while the Cowboys returned to California for further practices before their own preseason game on Saturday at SoFi Stadium.