Buccaneers, Jaguars Involved in Multiple Fights During Joint Practice

During a joint practice between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, multiple fights broke out.

According to ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco and Jenna Laine, the first skirmish involved Jags defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and Bucs offensive tackle Donovan Smith pushing each other around.

That was followed by Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson and Buccaneers safety Chris Conte scuffling, resulting in Conte losing his helmet.

The most significant clash of the day, however, came when Jags wideout Arrelious Benn punched Bucs linebacker Adarius Glanton.

Per DiRocco and Laine, Buccaneers offensive tackle Demar Dotson didn't take issue with the on-field disagreements:

"Two grown men, two football players that [were] chippy, competing. I don't think it's nothing serious. Anytime you get two grown men fighting, competing out here, hitting with pads, we're tired—we're all tired—we're hurting, we're a little on-edge. So they probably got called out just like we got called out. Everybody came trying to prove a point."

By contrast, Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith was disappointed to see the fighting: "There's two sides to every story. It was just something that we really can't allow to happen. It's gonna be a 15-yard penalty in a real game, so we've got to make sure we hold our composure. That's the big thing. We came in here saying we didn't want to fight. We didn't accomplish that."

Among those involved in the fights, Benn's case is an intriguing one since the Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft, and he played for the team through 2012.

Benn saw limited action for the Jags last season, and he is battling for a roster spot as part of a crowded receiving corps that also includes Robinson, Allen Hurns, Rashad Greene, Dede Westbrook and the injured Marqise Lee.

Tuesday was far from the last that Jacksonville and Tampa Bay will see of one another, as the teams will meet in a preseason game Thursday.