Earlier this week, the Green Bay Packers hosted the Seattle Seahawks for a joint practice at the Packers’ facility. The session was marked by down-to-the-minute testimony that made for two action-packed hours, but unfortunately overshadowed by numerous battles. One day, about a dozen skirmishes erupted in the course of practice. A few of these escalated into full-blown brawls, which only added to the heated dynamic between the two teams.
As a result, in a high-profile case, Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom was ejected from his game. He swung haymakers at fellow Seahawks teammates Ernest Jones IV and Devon Witherspoon. According to a report from the Associated Press, the incident started when Jones broke into the Packers’ huddle, looking to hit a ball carrier. Tempers were already frayed after some earlier animosity between Jones and a member of the Packers’ kickoff return team.
“I think when you get both sidelines clearing, it’s tough,” – Jordan Love
Love seemed most proud of his role as a looming presence that monitored the scene from above, careful to never himself get caught up in any clashes.
“I’m kind of just roaming around, making sure everybody’s straight and just seeing kind of what’s going on,” – Jordan Love
He understood that situations can get tense in a heated battle royale. He was hellbent on not getting messed up due to his existing injury.
“But definitely — especially right now with the injury — I’m not going to be getting into any scuffles right now, so I’m going to stay away,” – Jordan Love
Through all of that chaos, the most important part of the day—the last 11-on-11 drills—went off without a hitch. Even after practice had ended, players from each team were still jawing at each other across the field, suggesting that the bad blood was still boiling.
“Imagine how disrespected we felt being in the huddle,” Tom said, Jones taking over. He even shared his thoughts on the hit that ensued after that incident.
“It’s already disrespectful that they’re in our huddle, and then somebody gets hit while we’re in the huddle, got to have some pride, you know?” – Zach Tom
Tom credited the fight for leading to his own internal reflection, conceding that he could have done a better job with more self-control.
“I feel like, yeah, I can have better control — not throwing punches — but I don’t know. It is what it is, you know? I can only control what I can control,” – Zach Tom
This quirk highlighted the extreme competitive nature of the professional game of football. In this beautiful game, tempers run high, and the sometimes brutal nature of the play often leads to altercations. Both teams should learn to focus that energy in productive ways as they are likely doing in getting ready for their next game.
Leave a Reply