Fight Erupts at Jets Practice Between Nathan Shepherd and Alex Lewis
By Ryan Giglio
NFL linemen spend their careers in the trenches, fighting a tough, under-appreciated battle over and over again for their teams. And since becoming a difference-maker takes seriously hard work in a highly competitive environment, it's not uncommon for a skirmish to occur out on the field.
But are these guys supposed to fight their own teammates?
Well, that's what happened at Jets camp on Monday. Defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd and guard Alex Lewis reportedly found themselves in a brawl during practice.
Fight between Nathan Shepherd and Alex Lewis gets ugly and turns into a brawl. Kelechi gets involved. At least two punches are thrown, and there's a big dogpile in the middle of the field. McClendon runs out after it ends to diffuse the situation.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) August 12, 2019
Punching has no place at camp, as the chance of injury -- to say nothing of the general unrest -- is simply too great. Kudos to Steve McClendon and Kelechi Osemele for getting involved and cooling the tensions.
The Jets have been plagued by locker room drama in recent years, so this proactive veteran presence is an encouraging takeaway in the wake of an unfortunate situation.
Steve McLendon wasn’t happy with offensive line. He walked over to talk to them. Osemele expressed his displeasure with defensive line. #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 12, 2019
With guys fighting for their jobs and careers in the NFL every day, dustups in the heat of training camp competition aren't 100% preventable. However, Monday's incident escalated to an unacceptable level. Jets fans will surely hope this brawl is a sign of the pure passion their team has rather than a symptom of some underlying drama that's yet to be addressed.