Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has downplayed a brawl in their Thursday practice against the Cincinnati Bengals where he was seen swinging a Bengals helmet as a weapon.
Footage emerged of the incident from the practice session between last season's Super Bowl teams with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Donald at the center of it.
The situation led to calls for a suspension, but clubs, and not the league, are responsible for overseeing the players' conduct in practice, with no ban transpiring since.
Rams coach Sean McVay played down the significance of the fracas later in the day and Donald reiterated that on Wednesday.
"It was just a practice. It was football," Donald told AP Pro Football Podcast.
"I don't really want to go back to nothing negative that happened and talk about something that happened in a practice. My main focus is Buffalo."
Donald indicated he had addressed the incident with McVay and teammates but would not be drawn on it further.
The Rams start the new NFL season against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
Jamaica's Sports Minister congratulates Sheldon Clarke on history-making NFL advance
The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that Sheldon Clarke former student of Munro College, deserves hearty congratulations and best wishes for his history making advance to the National Football League's International Player Pathway (NFL-IPP) Combine in the United Kingdom.
The NFL International Player Pathway programme offers the opportunity for athletes to bridge the gap between their current skills and the demands of professional American football.
The Combine is scheduled for October 10-12, 2024.
If successful at the Combine, Clarke who is 21, could earn a place in a training programme designed to prepare international athletes for the rigours of the NFL.
Minister Grange said, “This selection is not just a personal triumph for Sheldon, but an inspiration for every young athlete in Jamaica who aspires to play American football."
At the Combine, he will undergo rigorous physical tests, skill evaluations, and interviews with NFL personnel.
49ers considering putting McCaffrey on injured reserve amid fitness battle
The San Francisco 49ers are considering placing star running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve as he continues to battle calf and Achilles issues.
McCaffrey missed the Niners' season-opening victory over the New York Jets on Monday, having struggled with soreness in his right calf and tendinitis in his Achilles.
On Thursday, head coach Kyle Shanahan ruled McCaffrey out of the team's Week 2 trip to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and conversations are now taking place about placing him on the injured reserve list.
If they do so, he will have to sit out at least four more games, leaving San Francisco without one of their foremost offensive weapons for a significant period of the season.
"It's something we're considering now," Shanahan told reporters. "Yesterday was his worst day.
"It's on and off, but with yesterday having the most pain. It's something we're going to be discussing together in the next 24 hours."
McCaffrey won the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award for 2023 after helping San Francisco reach Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, where they suffered a dramatic overtime defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He led the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns in his first full season with the 49ers, having arrived in a blockbuster trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
McCaffrey admitted his injury problems were causing him plenty of frustration earlier this week, telling reporters: "My mindset every week is that I'm going to play.
"There's been weeks when I'll go the full week, not even feeling good enough to do the walk-through, and then I wake up and the body's capable of a lot of cool things.
"Mentally, I'm always prepared to play, and then I woke up and it was a group decision, a very tough one.
"I hate not playing, but I look at it as a chess move and something that hopefully you can benefit from the rest of the season."
Dolphins to recruit quarterback after latest Tagovailoa concussion
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has said the team will bring in another quarterback in the absence of Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Thursday's 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bulls in the third quarter, the third of his career with all of them occurring in the past 24 months.
The 26-year-old was 17-for-25 passing for 145 yards against the Bills, with one touchdown and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a Buffalo score, before he got hurt.
Until they can bring in a new recruit, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins' starter, and McDaniel believes he can perform well in the absence of his main man.
He said: "The team and the organisation are very confident in Skylar."
McDaniel was unsure about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve, suggesting his chances of featuring in their next match against the Seattle Seahawks on September 22nd were very slim.
"I have no idea, and I'm not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don't even see myself involved in the most important parts of!" McDaniel said.
"There won't be any talk about where we're going in that regard, none of that will happen without doctors' expertise and the actual player."
Thompson feels ready to step up in Tagovailoa's absence and be an important member of the side for the foreseeable future.
He said: "I feel like I'm ready for whatever's to come. I'm going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job."
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