When Oakland goes into battle with other NFL teams, Raider Nation goes with them.
Coaches may rethink the wisdom of inter-team preseason practices, popular with Bill Belichick and other elite field generals, after the Raiders-Cowboys brawl on Tuesday.
“The brawl started when Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne slammed Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera to the turf by the sideline, just a few yards from a section of the crowd that was predominantly Raiders fans,” ESPN-Dallas reporter Tim MacMahon explains. “There was an agreement that there would be no tackling at the practice, but Claiborne said he decided to take Rivera down after the tight end lowered his shoulder.”
Raider fans, who took exception to the hit, got in a few hits of their own. Dallas cornerback B.W. Webb reports that an unidentified citizen of Raider Nation whacked him twice with a hand and once with a helmet. The defensive back took defensive measures before retreating.
After the wild skirmish, the silver-helmeted teams resumed practice, which concluded with another donnybrook.