Rams Equipment Intern Shoved to Ground by Cowboys Player Following Joint Practice Scuffle

Jeremy Hanna | Aug 14, 2024

Aug 11, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Xavier Smith (19) is pushed out of bounds by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson (41) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In the recent joint practice between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys, things got heated and went too far.

During 1-on-1 drills, there was a scuffle where you can see Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odigizuwa in the center of a ton of Rams players. However, things got worse when another player retaliated by shoving a Rams equipment intern to the ground.

Getting a little chippy pic.twitter.com/QCWgW7Ko48

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 14, 2024

According to a report from Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, things quickly got worse.

"Mild kerfuffle during Rams OL / Dallas DL drills for after-whistle activity by a DL," Rodrigue said. "Rams chattered how Dallas didn’t 'want to practice' (bc of instigating scuffle)."

"Then a Dallas player shoved the Rams equipment intern to the ground after another play and [center] Ryan Wendell + [head coach] Sean MCvay lost their s***. Paused drills to have a chat with everybody and check on the kid. Kid is hanging tough and finishing the drill - he is the simulated QB in the 'pocket.'"

The shoving player was later identified as defensive tackle Albert Huggins by Jon Machota of The Athletic. In a video of the incident, you can see Huggins turn and flip off in the direction of the intern he shoved. He was soon pushed and confronted by multiple coaches. You can also hear multiple yells of expletives directed at the DT.

Rams not happy about Cowboys DT Albert Huggins knocking down a member of their staff pic.twitter.com/QxAWpKEt1I

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 14, 2024

According to Nick Harris of DallasCowboys.com, Huggins was "told by the coaching staff to pack it up for the day."

This marks the Rams' second joint practice in a row with the Cowboys this year. Los Angeles was originally supposed to practice with the Chargers, but plans were changed to the new Woodland Hills practice facility not being finished.

The Rams played the Cowboys in their first preseason game. Los Angeles narrowly took the victory after Stetson Bennett led a final drive to record the game's only touchdown. The final score was 13-12.

This isn't the first time a joint practice between the Cowboys and Rams had a "kerfuffle." In 2018, a joint practice ended with multiple fights breaking out.

Former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher called the incident "unfortunate."

"There's no excuse for it," Fisher said. "You can't blame it on anybody, it just happened. One thing led to another and it happened and it's unfortunate. Fortunately, nobody got hurt, and I think two teams got out of two good practice sessions healthy."

Only time will tell how McVay and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy handle the situation.

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