The threat of ejection apparently wasn't enough to deter New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers players from getting into it for the second straight day.
After a significant fight during the teams' first joint practice session Tuesday outside Gillette Stadium, multiple scuffles broke out again Wednesday in Foxboro.
According to Patriots Insider Phil Perry, the first fracas began with Patriots wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson and Panthers safety Kenny Robinson, who also were in the middle of Tuesday's fight.
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SIGN UP HERE A short while later, Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. hit Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey during an 11-on-11 period, which prompted McCaffrey to throw the ball at Wise and start the melee, per Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran.
Several players on both sides were ejected for their roles in the fights, including Wise and Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard.
While fights break out at training camp all the time -- especially during joint practices when teams face another opponent for the first time -- they can also be counterproductive if they're wasting valuable practice time. That's why coaches often threaten players with ejection, which means they lose out on key reps during the most important part of camp (as was the case with Wilkerson and Kendrick Bourne on Tuesday).
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The Patriots and Panthers apparently can't help themselves, however. We'll see if Wednesday's fireworks continue into Friday night at Gillette Stadium. when the teams square off in their second preseason game.
