Mike Florio Calls for NFL to Punish Joint Practice Fights
Multiple fights broke out at a recent joint practice, and Mike Florio thinks the NFL should finally start punishing them.
On Tuesday, a joint practice between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints descended into turmoil, with at least six separate altercations erupting. The melee included punches being thrown, helmets flying off, and even a wrestling-style suplex from Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, which sent a Cowboys defender to the ground.
Both head coaches - Saints' Kellen Moore and Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer - acknowledged that while they enjoy competitive spirit, the situation escalated beyond acceptable limits and both contemplated canceling practice altogether. "We kind of had agreed that if a couple of other things happened, we would cancel it, but they worked through it," Schottenheimer stated.
"Again, there's a discipline element to playing this football game, and unfortunately we didn't handle that very well today." Joint practices between opposing teams are not uncommon, but Tuesday's session grew excessively violent, leading Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio to suggest a straightforward solution: impose fines. Florio argues that the NFL should have jurisdiction over joint practices and penalize any fights that occur, both with monetary fines and other disciplinary measures.
Currently, the NFL can fine players for fighting during joint practice sessions under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but historically, the league has often targeted organizations instead. In 2024, the Detroit Lions and New York Giants each received a $200,000 fine after multiple fights broke out during joint practices in early August.
This incident involving Rechsteiner and others highlights the need for stronger regulation. While teams are more frequently the ones penalized, individual players can also face internal team discipline, ejections, suspensions, or direct financial penalties from the league. With more than half of the 2026 preseason joint practice sessions completed, it remains to be seen if the incidents will continue to mount, and whether the league will finally take action.
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