Brawl mars Cowboys-Raiders joint practice
Aug 13, 2014, 2:47 AM | Updated: 2:47 am
There’s probably a reason why teams, in virtually every sport, practice separately from their competitors.
Nonetheless, the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders tried to host a joint practice Tuesday. Deadspin says the event took place in Oxnard, California.
They (practiced) in front of a significant police presence because Oxnard’s two largest gangs — Colonia Chiques and the Southside Chiques — wear the colors of the Cowboys and Raiders, respectively. It wasn’t the gangs that broke the peace in Oxnard today, though; it was the Cowboys and Raiders.
The two sides got into quite the brawl during one of the drills, overshadowing the whole practice. ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon described on Twitter how the scuffle broke out.
Cowboys-Raiders brawl after Mo Claiborne puts TE Mychal Rivera on his back and barks to crowd. Whole Dallas D and Oakland O involved.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) August 13, 2014
Pat Doney, a sports anchor-reporter for an NBC affiliate in Dallas, captured some of the chaos in a short Vine video.
USA Today reports a fan even got involved in the brawl, as some of the players were up against a fence with Raiders supporters right on the other side.
Dallas cornerback B.W. Webb said he felt someone on his back, swinging a helmet at his head. Thinking it was a player, Webb spun around and swung his right arm. Webb told USA TODAY Sports he didn’t know it was a fan. Many of the Raiders fans brought helmets to get autographed by players after the practice.
After players dispersed, police had to stand between the sideline and the Raiders fan section.
We’re starting to think that maybe the joint practice wasn’t such a bright idea after all. The two teams don’t even face each other next in preseason; Oakland is hosting Detroit on Friday, while Dallas hosts Baltimore the following day.
