Edelman, Gilmore Booted From Patriots Practice For Fighting
BOSTON (CBS) -- Things got chippy between two of the Patriots' most important players on Tuesday. Bill Belichick ejected both receiver Julian Edelman and cornerback Stephon Gilmore from Tuesday's training camp practice at Gillette Stadium after the two got into a scuffle during a drill.
According to NESN's Zack Cox on Twitter, the fight happened after the drill resulted in an incompletion and Gilmore ripped Edelman's helmet off. According to the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe, Gilmore shoved Edelman then Edelman threw Gilmore to the ground.
ESPN's Mike Reiss added that Edelman apparently started the fight because he "took exception" to Gilmore holding him on the play.
Here are some photos from the incident, thanks to Instagram user Shaun Ganley:
Belichick has a clear zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fighting during practice. Chris Hogan and Cyrus Jones also got into a tussle last Friday during the second day of training camp.
Malcolm Butler got ejected from camp last season, after scuffling with receiver Alshon Jeffrey during a joint practice between the Patriots and Bears. Former Patriots center Bryan Stork got ejected from the same joint practice last season, and had previously been booted for fighting during minicamp.
According to observations from 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand, who were broadcasting live from Gillette during the fight, the Patriots secondary had a strong day of practice in coverage. Edelman's behavior in the dust-up with Gilmore could have simply been a case of frustration boiling over.
