The New York Jets always seem to love the drama. But instead of revolving around quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the latest hair-raising news was a brawl that erupted between the two, highest-profile stars on the team: Brandon Marshall and Darrelle Revis.
As reported by ESPN ‘s Rich Cimini, Brandon Marshall took a swing at the Jets hall-of-fame bound cornerback Darrelle Revis at practice on Friday.
“An incensed Marshall left the offensive sideline and walked about 20 yards to confront Revis, who was stationed at his cornerback position. They exchanged words, and Marshall immediately unleashed an open-handed slap at Revis, which didn’t land.”
Revis supposedly didn’t fight back and the two were immediately separated.
As reported by the NY Daily News , Jets coach Todd Bowles had no objections to the summer skirmish .
“Love it,” Todd Bowles said after practice. “It’s football. We’re not here judging a beauty pageant. You want some players that are chippy and know how to play and keep it clean. But we want them on the edge.”
According to multiple outlets, the fight erupted after 1-on-1 drills between Marshall and Revis got heated. Revis took exception after Marshall beat him for a first down and slapped Brandon across the helmet. From there, Marshall’s intensity rose. At one point Marshall even yelled at a practice official for not calling pass interference when Revis broke up the next play. Marshall soon responded with an 80-yard touchdown and a heap of trash talking. The end result was the skirmish that erupted during the summer heat.
This isn’t the first time the pair have gone up against each other, albeit in the regular season versus just practice. Marshall was a member of the Miami Dolphins for several years starting in 2010 during Revis’ first stint with the Jets. The pair infamously tussled back then, with Marshall even telling reporters that Darrelle gets special treatment from the refs according to the NFL website .
“My technique could have been better, but at the same time, I think they gave him the Jordan Rule,” Marshall said back in 2011. “You get a little close to Michael Jordan, they’re going to call a foul. It works that way in football. Some guys, they’re scared to throw the flag…. He may be getting that rule.”
Not everything at Jets camp was this serious, however. Earlier in the week the spirits of the team were lightened after quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finally shaved off the haircut that started an internet craze. Coming into camp with an overgrown do, Fitzpatrick walked over to the defense on Wednesday and told them that the next person to intercept him would get to shave off his hair, as reported by CBS Sports.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s head hair, still glorious. pic.twitter.com/hU3BNZnEXx
— Dr Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) August 2, 2016
The lucky barber? Fourth-round pick Juston Burris.
“I threw it to a rookie, too, which was awful, like a double whammy,” Fitzpatrick said. “But it was one of those things like it got picked off, and I actually was kind of smiling about it, because I finally got to cut that thing off the top of my head.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s haircut, which Nick Mangold described as a “tennis ball” #Jets pic.twitter.com/mB4bcg7tKl
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 3, 2016
Considering Fitzpatrick is one week removed from one of the longest contract disputes in NFL free agency, the team has to be happy that his haircut is making news and not him missing time on the field. Now if Brandon Marshall and Darrelle Revis can manage to keep their hands off each other in practice, the Jets have a real shot at making the playoffs in 2016.