It’s a somewhat rare occurrence, but it happens.
Tensions can run high in training camp as many players try to make the roster or show that they are among the best on the team. Sometimes, that can lead to a fight breaking out, even if it’s between players on the same team.
Sure, these fights usually aren’t too bad. Maybe altercation or kerfuffle are better ways to describe what actually happens when teammates or opponents square off in training camp.
The Vikings have had their share of training camp fights in the past. Here are three notable ones, followed by an explanation of each from Vikings Wire.
DL Brock Lesnar vs. C Johnathan Ingram
Lesnar had a short-lived stint with the Vikings, but it was still fairly memorable.
One of his more noteworthy feats in pads was getting into a wrestling match with Chiefs center Johnathan Ingram after Lesnar had tackled Kansas City running back Jonathan Smith (Chiefs players identified by the Argus Leader), which led to numerous players on both teams getting involved
Here’s a clip:
WR Stefon Diggs vs. CB Xavier Rhodes
In 2018, this Vikings team was a lot different.
Rhodes was coming off a stellar season and was the premier cornerback on the Minnesota defense. Diggs, at the time, was a promising but inexperienced player, coming off a year where he had 849 receiving yards. Diggs was starting to make a name for himself while Rhodes already had.
Diggs and Rhodes got into it in the 2018 training camp, resulting in both getting kicked out of practice for the rest of the day, according to the Pioneer Press.
Fans didn’t have to worry too much about additional problems, though. Both players talked about how it can be like family fighting.
“We go at it, but it’s all love,” Diggs told reporters, via the Pioneer Press. “It’s a family thing here.”
Rhodes had a similar sentiment.
“It was just the competitive nature in us. I didn’t want to lose. He didn’t want to lose. … It’s stuff like that if you have a sibling you grow up with and he does something you don’t like and then something tends to go off,” Rhodes said, via the Pioneer Press.
WR Laquon Treadwell vs. CB Antone Exum Jr.
The Laquon Treadwell era for the Vikings did not go as planned.
The former first-round pick never really panned out for Minnesota, and this offseason, he signed with the Falcons.
In 2017, Treadwell still had some of the hype from his collegiate success at Ole Miss, despite a lackluster rookie season.
Cornerback Antone Exum Jr., who was later waived by the Vikings, was trying to make the team.
The two got into it after Treadwell made a nice catch in the end zone over Exum Jr. during practice.
Here’s a clip:
