Rookie offensive lineman Shane Lemieux and defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh nearly came to blows last week during practice, but to date, the New York Giants have not had any true training camp fights.
As it turns out, there’s a reason for that.
In years past, training camp fights were simply a part of the story in East Rutherford, but under first-year head coach Joe Judge, they will not be tolerated. In fact, Judge says anyone who takes a swing in practice will be immediately ejected.
“It’s real simple. If you fight in a game, you’re ejected, you’re fined and it’s a penalty for the team. So, we’re not going to practice anything that we’re not going to do in a game,” Judge told reporters on Sunday. “If you have the opportunity to play as hard as you want between the whistles, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re not looking for cheap shots. We’re going to play nasty, but we’re not going to play dirty. There’s a difference.
“If you’re going to get thrown out of a game, then you’re going to get thrown out of practice.”
The ultra-detailed Judge has plans for every imaginable scenario, and fighting is one of those things. There’s a no tolerance policy in place when it comes to throwing punches, and players have — at least to date — heeded those warnings.
