Just one day after the altercation between JC Latham and Jeffery Simmons, tensions boiled over once again. This time the confrontation escalated well beyond shoving and verbal exchanges. Reports indicated that the Titans' defensive lineman threw a punch during practice, resulting in a large scrum involving several players.
The chaos didn't end there. At some point during the altercation, Simmons' helmet was ripped off and somehow ended up in Wan'Dale Robinson's hands, as teammates worked to separate those involved and bring the fight to an end.
The scuffle originally was between Austin Schlottmann and Simmons, while Dan Moore Jr. and Latham were originally trying to break things up when it escalated.
While it initially appeared that the confrontation between Latham and Simmons would be the final altercation of practice, tensions flared again on the very next play. This time the scuffle involved wide receiver Elic Ayomanor and defensive back Marcus Harris. The exchange was limited to pushing and shoving, prompting head coach Robert Saleh to blow the whistle and bring practice to a halt momentarily before the situation escalated further.
Saleh made his comments about the players arguing at Monday's practice. Here is what was originally said.
Robert Saleh Made His "No Punches" Comments on Monday
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"It was fine. They're always going to be scrappy. As long as we aren't out there throwing punches, I couldn't care less about the scuffles," Saleh said when discussing the events after the whistle during Monday's practice.
Since punches were thrown, fans were unsure how Saleh would respond to the situation. As expected, his comments were shared quickly through his daily press conference following practice.
Robert Saleh's Response on Tuesday
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"It's the second day of pads; it's hot, it's muggy. You're expecting it. Especially with the way that the offensive line and defensive line gets after it, so it's just a reminder that we got work to do. It's okay. I got brothers, and we fight all the time, but at the end of the day we will still take care of one another and make sure we're good getting the work done that we need to get," Saleh said.
Following the altercation, Simmons would work off to the side individually, which was also something that Saleh was asked about.
"Our policy is that if you throw a punch you're ejected from the game. Same thing with practice. If you throw a punch you're out of practice. Rather than going to the locker room, he still went to the other field and got his work in, so that the projective reps and the work that he would've got in, he got in off to the side," Saleh said.
