Patriots eject Julian Edelman, Stephon Gilmore from practice
By Joe Schiller
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and cornerback Stephon Gilmore were both booted from practice today after getting into a fight.
It turns out, maybe the New England Patriots are human after all.
The reigning Super Bowl champions come into the offseason as favorites to win it all once again, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.
During training camp practice today, wide receiver Julian Edelman and cornerback Stephon Gilmore got into an altercation. According to reports the incident happened after an incomplete pass in the end-zone. Both players were eventually asked to leave practice.
Julian Edelman has been told to leave practice after starting a fight with CB Stephon Gilmore after an incomplete end-zone pass.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 1, 2017
Julian Edelman took exception to Stephon Gilmore holding him and then wrestled with him on the ground. Gilmore has also been told to leave.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 1, 2017
This isn’t the first time that these two have gone up against each other. Before signing a five-year, $65 million deal with the Patriots, Gilmore played in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills. With both of these players known for their physical style of play, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
When the Patriots signed Gilmore, some criticized the move questioning why the team chose to pay him instead of cornerback Logan Ryan. Because of this Gilmore definitely comes in to training camp with a chip on his shoulder and with something to prove.
The same could be said for Edelman. The former Kent State quarterback was a seventh-round pick by the Patriots in 2009. Most of the time late of picks rarely see the field. Edelman has defied those odds and become one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets. In 2016 he finished with a career-high 1,106 receiving yards. He may be the proven veteran now, but as an undersized receiver he always has that scrappy nature to him.
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It’s not uncommon at all to see these kind of fights happen during training camp. When players are competing at the top level, things are going to get heated. And with Bill Belichick being the type of coach he is, these fights have no place on the practice field, no matter who the players are.
Most of the time the two players will hug it out and move on.