Fight Breaks Out At Bucs-Titans Joint Practice (With Tom Brady Absent)

The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers aren’t the only NFL teams getting physical at training camp, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans had a dust-up Thursday during their joint practice in Nashville.

ESPN Titans reporter Turron Davenport tweeted Thursday afternoon that Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons got into a fight with Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette.

Both players threw punches, according to Davenport.

Firsthand accounts seem to vary on the extent of the brawl, which reportedly was broken up by Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, among others. But it’s clear tempers flared between the teams, with Fournette and Simmons in the middle of the fracas.

Perhaps this is payback from Wednesday’s joint practice, when Bucs vice president of player engagement Duke Preston reportedly was in the middle of an incident involving Simmons while taking shotgun snaps as a mock quarterback.

“Preston, who played center for the Bills and Cowboys in the 2000s, was brushed near the neck and head by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons as Simmons surged past center Robert Hainsey,” the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud wrote Wednesday. “Preston then fired the ball at Simmons, and pushing and shoving ensued.”

It’s apparent emotions are running high across the league with the regular season three weeks away. And for the Bucs, this drama comes with quarterback Tom Brady still away from the team.

That’s not to say there’s a connection to be made. Brady presumably would be far away from the brawl, neither playing the role of instigator nor peacekeeper. But all eyes certainly are on Tampa Bay’s preparation for the 2022 season as the QB remains absent for personal reasons.