Cowboys and Saints fined 500,000 each after joint-practice fights

The NFL has fined the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints 500,000 each for unsportsmanlike conduct after multiple fights broke out during their joint practice in Oxnard, California, on 18 August. Source 1Source 2 Announced on Thursday, the sanctions place a costly consequence on a session that was disrupted repeatedly and raised discipline concerns for both clubs. Source 1Source 2

What happened

The joint practice took place on Tuesday 18 August in Oxnard, California, where Cowboys and Saints players became involved in multiple fights during the session. Source 1Source 2 The incidents were not confined to one moment, as the fights occurred throughout the practice. Source 1Source 2 CBS Sports reported that there were roughly eight separate fights, although that number was presented as an approximate report rather than a definitive total. Source 2

The disruption was serious enough that Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore discussed the possibility of ending the practice early. Source 1Source 2 The NFL subsequently announced on 20 August that it was fining both organisations for unsportsmanlike conduct. Source 1Source 2 “There's a discipline element to playing this football game. Unfortunately we didn't handle that very well today.” Source 1

Why it matters

The league framed its response against an established emphasis on sportsmanship at joint practices, saying its Competition Committee has stressed that principle for several years. Source 1 Before training camp, the NFL also reminded every club of its responsibility to prevent unsportsmanlike behaviour that could lead to injury. Source 1Source 2 A July memo had similarly called for the highest standards of professionalism and sportsmanship in joint practices. Source 1Source 2

Those reminders give the fines a wider context than the events of one afternoon in California. Source 1Source 2 The Cowboys and Saints have each been sanctioned at organisation level after a practice that featured repeated fights and prompted their coaches to consider an early finish. Source 1Source 2 The league’s action links its stated expectation of controlled joint practices to a financial penalty when that standard is not met. Source 1Source 2

For Dallas, the timing also comes shortly after a 17–7 preseason-opening win away to the Seattle Seahawks on 16 August. Source 3 The fine does not change that result, but it places the Cowboys’ upcoming preseason schedule alongside a fresh disciplinary issue. Source 1Source 2Source 3

What's next

Dallas are scheduled to visit the Arizona Cardinals in preseason on 23 August, three days after the NFL announced the fine. Source 3 The Cowboys and Saints are then scheduled to meet again in their preseason finale on 28 August. Source 2Source 3 Dallas are also scheduled to open their regular season away to the New York Giants on 14 September. Source 3

The immediate calendar therefore gives the Cowboys a game before their next scheduled encounter with New Orleans, followed by the start of the regular-season programme less than a month later. Source 2Source 3

Notes

The reported estimate of roughly eight fights comes from CBS Sports and is described as approximate. Source 2 The available accounts establish the club fines, the date and location of the practice, the repeated incidents, and the coaches’ discussion about ending the session early. Source 1Source 2 The fine amount is stated in the article without a currency label because the supplied materials use differing currency notation. Source 1Source 2