Training camp is officially over, but Monday’s practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers took upon a training camp feel when two of their best players, including their All-Pro safety, got into more than a scuffle.
No one knows exactly what set it off, but an incensed Minkah Fitzpatrick went hard after wide receiver Chase Claypool at the end of a play. Close to the entire team rushed over and it took many players to restore order.
“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Mike Tomlin deadpanned since media members are not permitted to report what they see at practice – unless players talk about it.
A few of them who were scheduled to speak after practice did just that.
“I just [saw] the big pile,” guard Kevin Dotson said. “I don’t know what [the beef] is, but you come out and pretty much fight a person for two hours, eventually something might happen. That’s been going on since little league.
“If you go compete, competitors are going to fight. They’re two of our biggest competitors. You kind of almost expect that at least once.”
Typically, fights break out between rookies and veterans, back-ups and starters, but rarely between two of a team’s most important players. Fitzpatrick and Claypool certainly fit that description.
“I don’t think it’s anything you have to look into,” said nose tackle Tyson Alualu.” It’s part of the game. It’s part of football, but we don’t want anybody – especially our star players – getting hurt. We have to be smarter about that.”
Yes, kids, throwing punches at someone wearing a helmet – friend or foe – is never a good idea. Defensive end Chris Wormley is confident cooler heads will prevail.
“It’s the end of camp; everyone’s ready to play someone else other than us,” Wormley pointed out. "That’s a part of football, but as a whole, we want to stick together as a team and let that stuff go. Those two guys will make up and we’ll carry on and prepare for Buffalo [Bills].”
Even if Tomlin didn’t know what the media was referring to after practice, he took several minutes after practice to deliver a stern message to his players and, not surprisingly, declined to share it.
“I’ll keep that between myself and [the players],” answered the Steelers head coach. "We talk openly about that process, where we are in it, what we need to do to improve daily. We assess days, and sometimes I assess it on site as opposed to the next day, because immediate feedback sometimes is needed.”
Alualu believes that message from Tomlin was well-received from everyone.
“We just gotta be smart and make sure nobody gets hurt in those kinds of altercations," Alualu said. “That was kind of the message.”
The Steelers open the 2021 regular season against the Bills on Sunday, Sept. 12 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
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