Richard Sherman, Phil Bates get into scuffle at Seahawks’ minicamp
By Jack Crosby
Just because Richard Sherman was recently rewarded with a lucrative contract by the Seattle Seahawks doesn’t mean that he’s lost any of his fire, and that was apparently on full display during Seahawks practice on Wednesday as he and wide receiver Phil Bates got into a bit of a scuffle that included each landing blows to each other’s heads.
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Per a report from ESPN, here’s how the situation went down:
"The altercation began one play earlier when receiver Bryan Walters made a diving catch on the sidelines while being closely covered by free safetyEarl Thomas, who fell over the top of Walters after the play.Walters injured his left shoulder and was in obvious pain on the sideline. Receiver Doug Baldwin was clearly angry, believing Thomas had landed on Walters in the no-tackling scrimmage.Sherman was playing press coverage on Bates the next play. They grabbed each other at the snap, and neither man let go. Sherman ripped off Bates’ helmet, and punches flew before Sherman also lost his helmet.Receiver Percy Harvin was the next player in the fight, pushing Sherman as everyone came off the sidelines to try to break it up. Running back Marshawn Lynch, who wasn’t practicing because of a sore ankle, ran in to pull Harvin back."
Not long after the throw down, Pete Carroll stopped the practice and brought everyone together for a little speech.
“He just told us we needed to regain our focus and remember why we’re out here,” middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “Things got a little out of hand, but it was a lot of fun. I loved it. It felt like a game out there. And I felt like the defense won today.”
Of course, tempers flare between teammates all the time in football practices across the country at all levels, but the Seahawks would rather do without one of their prized possessions taking punches to the head.