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Giants end first padded practice of camp with nasty brawl
Giants head coach Joe Judge speaks at practice. Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Giants end first padded practice of training camp with nasty brawl

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge had to play the role of bad cop and angry parent on Tuesday. 

Per ESPN and Ryan Morik of SNY, the Giants' first day of padded practice at training camp ended with a brawl sparked by safety Jabrill Peppers delivering a hard hit to running back Corey Clement. Tight end Evan Engram retaliated, and starting quarterback Daniel Jones ultimately found himself at the bottom of a pile. 

An enraged Judge made players and even some coaches run 100-yard sprints and complete push-ups as punishment. He also addressed the squad using multiple expletives. 

"We were just competing," Jones told reporters after the melee. "Everyone’s excited, first day of pads, to get out there, but gotta do a better job of controlling that and making sure we’re controlling our enthusiasm. ... There’s consequences for that kind of stuff, and that’s the way it is in the game if you lose your cool. There’s consequences, and that hurts the team. That was the message, and everyone understands that."

Fights among teammates happen during training camp sessions more than some fans may realize, but linebacker Blake Martinez admitted after the fact that the players know they "can’t do that" during a game where penalties will be harsher than just running sprints. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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