Updated

Updated · NBC Sports · Aug 20

NFL Fines Saints, Cowboys $500,000 Each as Joint Practice Fight Penalties Jump 150%

Updated

Updated · NBC Sports · Aug 20

NFL Fines Saints, Cowboys $500,000 Each as Joint Practice Fight Penalties Jump 150%

Q: Will the massive $500,000 fines force NFL teams to completely abandon joint practices to avoid financial penalties?

No. The fines are more likely to force tighter control of joint practices than to make teams abandon them. The broader evidence points the other way. Joint practices have become a central part of NFL training camp, especially since the league moved to a 17-game regular season and cut the preseason to three games. This summer alone, 28 teams scheduled at least one joint practice, and many scheduled multiple sessions. Coaches value them because they provide competitive reps in a controlled setting, let staffs script specific situations, protect quarterbacks more than games do, and reduce the need to expose starters in preseason contests. What the Cowboys-Saints case shows is that the NFL is trying to regulate the environment, not eliminate it. The league had already warned teams before camp about sportsmanship, then followed through with heavy discipline after repeated fights, thrown punches, a tossed helmet and a body-slam. That is a signal that clubs are expected to manage tempers, stop practices if needed and avoid conduct that raises injury risk. There may be some short-term caution. Coaches could shorten sessions, increase oversight, separate hot-headed players more quickly, or cancel drills when tensions rise. A few teams may rethink whether the risk is worth it. But because joint practices are widely seen as more useful than preseason games for evaluation and preparation, the more likely outcome is stricter discipline and better safeguards, not a wholesale retreat.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Aug 20

$500,000 fines for the Saints and Cowboys mark the NFL's second team punishment in two years for joint-practice fighting, after multiple brawls in Tuesday's session.
The league raised the penalty 150% from the $200,000 fines imposed on the Giants and Lions in August 2024, signaling a tougher stance on club oversight.
Players who threw punches or otherwise joined the fights were not fined, continuing the NFL's practice of holding teams — not individuals — responsible for conduct at practices.
That approach has persisted since at least the 2022 Rams-Bengals incident involving Aaron Donald swinging helmets, with any shift toward direct player discipline likely requiring NFL-NFLPA bargaining.