Daron Payne described his sideline bust-up with team-mate Jonathan Allen during the Washington Football Team's 56-14 thrashing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys as a "little brotherly disagreement".
The two defensive tackles were sat together on the bench as a 75-yard drive resulted in the Cowboys' third touchdown in a row in the second quarter, sparking a heated conversation between the pair.
Television cameras showed Payne jabbing his finger towards the side of Allen's head before the latter responded by swatting his team-mate's hand away and aiming a punch at his face.
"Emotions are high, things happen," Allen said after the loss when asked about the confrontation. "I don't think it takes a rocket scientist if you look at how that game went."
The players were separated by fellow Washington players and coaches before the duo ended the game on the field together.
"Just a little brotherly disagreement; maybe the wrong place, wrong time, but it happened," Payne added on the altercation.
"You got brothers? You guys fight, right? It's all good."
Washington are on a three-game losing run to fall to a 6-9 record for the season, with their frailties in defense on Sunday seemingly the catalyst for the fracas between Allen and Payne, who have played together for six years across spells in Alabama and with their current franchise.
Washington coach Ron Rivera said he was informed of the incident after the conclusion of the game but refused to divulge the conversations he held with his players, while revealing the pair would not be disciplined.
"I talked with them, and as far as I'm concerned, that's where it's going to stay," Rivera told reporters. "What my players say to me is nobody's business."
Rivera believes the fight owed to frustrations running high amid a poor run of form, with Washington also missing numerous players due to injuries and COVID-19 issues.
Allen insisted they are already prepared to put the commotion behind them.
"When something happens on the field, you never let it carry into the locker room," Allen concluded. "Things get heated, we fix them, we sit down as grown men and we move on.
"I'll take full responsibility for my actions and so will Payne."
Rivera's team will look to end on a high against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday before closing their regular season at the New York Giants on January 9.