The New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys are paying a hefty price for their fight-filled joint practice earlier this week. The NFL fined both teams $500,000 for what the league called "the actions that took place at the joint practice between the teams earlier this week," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday. The discipline follows Tuesday's practice in Oxnard, California, which was repeatedly interrupted by altercations between Saints and Cowboys players.
Schefter added that the league has attempted to make sportsmanship at joint practices a point of emphasis in recent years. All 32 teams were reminded in a memo before training camp that they are responsible for preventing unsportsmanlike conduct that could potentially result in injuries.
That warning became relevant Tuesday when multiple fights broke out during the session. Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was removed from practice after throwing a punch, and Saints rookie Brock Rechsteiner went viral for taking Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson to the ground in another altercation.
It's an expensive precedent to set with a combined $1 million in fines, attempting to deter unsportsmanlike conduct in upcoming joint practices. For the Saints and Cowboys, the two teams are scheduled to meet again in their preseason finale on Aug. 28, though this time the action will take place under normal game conditions.
Memo to clubs in July: https://t.co/oj08hfJaNZ pic.twitter.com/2JoQ4LhkKt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 20, 2026
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL fines Saints, Cowboys $500,000 each after fights at joint practice
