Things got a little testy Monday at Chicago Bears training camp.
During an 11-on-11 drill, rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller tried to strip the ball from Martellus Bennett, spinning the tight end to the turf in the process. Bennett was not amused by the first-round draft pick’s enthusiasm and responded by body slamming Fuller face-first into the ground.
The two shook hands after being separated by teammates, and Bennett, who said this was not his first practice fight, called the skirmish a product of his aggressive play.
“Every single play I’m scratching and fighting for everything,” Bennett said, via the Chicago Tribune. “Same way I play every single day. I play hard. I go hard every single day. I’m probably one of the most violent people on the field. That’s just my style of play. That’s how I’m going to play and continue to play the way I play, and that’s what I’m here for.
“It’s practice. Practice is practice. I know I sound like Allen Iverson right now, but at the end of the day it’s practice. In practice, (stuff) happens. You learn from it, that’s why you practice. You learn from things that happen in practice.”
The seventh-year pro added that he doesn’t expect to be fined by head coach Marc Trestman — who cut practice short following the scuffle — for his actions but that he “can afford it” if he is.
UPDATE (11:20 a.m.): Bennett has indeed been punished for his outburst.
[tweet https://twitter.com/mikecwright/status/496673778077020160 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/mikecwright/status/496673916329676800 align=’center’%5D
