New York Jets had locker room issues after Week 3 loss
After a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, the New York Jets had some in-house fighting. This isn’t the first time and doesn’t look to be the last.
ESPN.com first reported that Brandon Marshall and Sheldon Richardson participated in a verbal spat in the locker room after the Jets’ 24-3 road loss on September 25th. The dispute didn’t reach a physical level and New York Jets coach Todd Bowles explained there is no longer an issue.
“I was right there, I heard it. It was loud,” Bowles told ESPN.com Thursday. “Yell down there, yell down here. It was no more than a normal training camp deal. It wasn’t anything significant . . . There were a bunch of people who had words because everybody was [ticked] off.
Furthermore, Bowles said he addressed the verbal fight with the entire team immediately. “I took care of it right there,” he said. “I addressed the team and I addressed the two guys. It will not happen again.” Bowles also followed up his statements by reiterating that there are no on-going issues.
“There were no residual effects, no physicality,” Bowles told ESPN.com. “After the game, everybody was [ticked] off and you throw stuff. They should be [ticked] off, but not at each other. It was just one of those things.”
However, Sheldon Richardson was excused from practice on Thursday due to a “personal issue,” according to Bowles. ESPN.com also reported that Brandon Marshall chimed in and stated that it was just an argument between “two Alpha males…two bulls.” The two players cleared the next day, he said.
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“There are moments in teams where you push each other and there’s tension and the best teams find a way through it,” the star wide-out told ESPN.com. “You guys understand how emotional and how intense the game is. When you come in the locker room after a loss like that and you’re looking at each other, trying to problem-solve, it may not always be the right time. Sometimes you have to give it a day or so for everyone to calm down and cool off and say, ‘OK, what do we need to do to solve it?’”
Bowles stated the verbal spat between Richardson and Marshall didn’t have any existing effect but the loss certainly did. The loss to the Chiefs was the first of what would be four straight for the Jets (1-5). The New York Jets will be hosting the Baltimore Ravens (3-3) on Sunday at 1:00 P.M EST.