GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks' joint practice on Thursday turned chaotic as multiple fights broke out, with right tackle Zach Tom at the center of the biggest scuffle during a goal-line drill.
Tom was ejected from practice after the altercation, which he said started when Seahawks players entered the Packers' huddle and someone got hit.
"We were in the huddle, and somebody in our huddle – like it's already kind of disrespectful that they're in our huddle – and then somebody gets hit while we're in the huddle," he told reporters after practice. "You know, got to have some pride," Tom said.
The fights disrupted practice and limited valuable repetitions for both teams. Quarterback Jordan Love acknowledged the frustration while understanding the competitive nature.
"You know, it's one of those things you hate to see because it just kind of stops practice and prolongs some of those drills – we don't get as many reps in – but it's one of those things that happens," Love said.
Safety Evan Williams emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline despite emotional moments.
"The lesson we have to learn really is just that we can't let that take us out of our game, right?" Williams asked. "You can't let that affect our discipline because after those things happen, you see guys are jumping offsides, guys are false-starting, and getting out of their habitual deal, so you can't just let some emotions stray you from the main mission."
Offensive struggles in red zone
Beyond the fights, the Packers offense had mixed results. Tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave had strong performances, but the team struggled in red zone seven-on-seven drills. Love completed just three-of-12 passes in that period, with the Seahawks secondary dominating.
Watch: Packers-Seahawks joint practice marred by multiple fights
"I think there was some stuff that we'll watch and definitely clean up," Love explained. "You know, it's red zone 7-on-7 — windows are a little bit tighter, everything happens quicker down there — so obviously a couple plays that we left out there that we wish we could have got back, but it's just stuff to go back and look at."
McKinney returns ahead of schedule
In positive news, safety Xavier McKinney returned to individual drills after missing two weeks with a calf injury. His return came earlier than expected, as the injury was initially thought to sideline him for the remainder of training camp.
"Everything felt good," McKinney shared. "Right now I'm just trying to get – make sure my wind is where it needs to be, and then just staying locked into the calls and different things. It was good to put the pads back on and move around a little bit."
McKinney plans to return to team drills next week as the Packers prepare for the regular season.
The Packers and Seahawks will face off Saturday in their preseason game, with Green Bay starters expected to play minus Love. Seattle will start rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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