Watch: Heated Fight Breaks Out at Texans-49ers Practice Scrimmage
The second week of the NFL preseason usually means joint practices so teams can go up against someone else for a change.
With joint practices you get often get scrimmage brawls, as there aren’t as many consequences as fighting during an actual game.
That’s exactly what happened in Houston on Wednesday as the Houston Texans welcomed the San Francisco 49ers for a joint training camp practice.
Superstar Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins got into it with 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward. After some typical bump-and-run coverage during a passing route, Ward got in an extra shot that knocked Hopkins’ helmet off and ignited a brawl.
.@DeAndreHopkins and @49ers DB Jimmie Ward throw punches at @HoustonTexans training camp. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/I0Xw12g20Z
— Alex Radow (@alexradow) August 15, 2018
Once a helmetless Hopkins made the catch, Ward gave him an extra shove and Hopkins responded with a push of his own.
The two then squared up. As soon as they got into it, players and staff from both sides ran in to break it up, but not before Hopkins and Ward ended up on the ground.
It certainly wasn’t Bernard Hopkins vs. Andre Ward, but this was a decent training camp fight.
According to Cam Inman, a 49ers reporter, the two men shook hands at the end of practice.
This isn’t the first time the Texans have been involved in a fight during a joint practice as the same thing happened a couple of years ago with the Redskins.
As a result of that skirmish, the two teams practiced separately for the rest of the day, which kind of nullifies the notion of a joint practice.
Maybe training camp fights are just a Houston thing, as Trent Williams of the Redskins, who lives in Houston during the offseason, got into it with the New York Jets during their joint practice earlier this week.
(WARNING: Video contains explicit language.)
@redskins @JPFinlayNBCS pic.twitter.com/cWD6lon6QD
— 💲UN-Abel💲 (@MattAbel5) August 12, 2018
When things had seemed to settle down between the teams, Williams — No. 71 — delivered a stiff arm to a Jets player at the 38-second mark.
That ignited another skirmish, which spilled over into the crowd — providing some great fan footage of the brawl:
Here’s some footage of the Washington-Jets brawl, via Washington fan @LeeBarnes2000 pic.twitter.com/0dTtjrT2Cu
— Master (@MasterTes) August 12, 2018
The Jets and Redskins finished up their joint practices and will square off in a preseason game Thursday.
The Texans and 49ers will finish up their joint practices Thursday before facing off at NRG Stadium on Saturday.
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