At no point in the following answer does Austin Schlottmann say the word "no."
Schlottmann, the frontrunner to be the Tennessee Titans' starting center in 2026, was fittingly mixed up in the center of the squabble that led to star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons
' ejection from practice on Aug. 4 for throwing a punch. Two days later, speaking to reporters, The Tennesseanasked Schlottmann if he saw himself as something of an instigator in that moment."Jeff and I have kind of, I wouldn't say (we) 'get into it,' but we kind of, there's just some talking after some plays most days," Schlottmann said. "It was kind of a normal thing. I don't know. It might've gone on a little longer than normal. But we're just playing football. That's part of it."
There was no fallout from the incident when the Titans took the field again on Aug. 6. Simmons was back on the field practicing like his old self. No one got hurt as a result of the mix-up. Schlottmann and Simmons still chirped at each other. So too did Simmons and right tackle JC Latham; it's hard to find a rep that goes by with both of them on the field where one doesn't find a reason to jaw at the other.
Until the last red zone period of the day when tensions momentarily rose after a physical moment led to receiver Elic Ayomanor exited to be evaluated for a shoulder injury, there weren't any moments that escalated to skirmish levels. After the Ayomanor incident, there were a couple quick dust-ups between offensive and defensive players ― one in particular involved left tackle Dan Moore Jr. ― but nothing that required coaches or referees to step in or stop practice as was the case on Aug. 4.
Tempers flare at football practices. It's why coach Robert Saleh predicted there'd be more squabbles to follow after the Simmons incident. But, in Schlottmann's eyes, there's value in these moments beyond expressing some rage.
"Personally I love it," Schlottmann said. "I love the talk, the chippiness, the competition. It's fun. It makes practice fun. It makes everyone better. You line up that next play and you want to beat that guy. You want to go out there and dominate that next rep and I think that only makes people better. There's a line, and I think we've done a good job for the most part of staying on the right side of it."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What fallout, if any, came from Jeffery Simmons ejection at Titans practice?
