A joint practice between the Colts and Eagles ended early Tuesday after a brawl broke out on the field, with Philadelphia center Jason Kelce and Indianapolis linebacker Zaire Franklin reportedly throwing punches at each other.
Kelce apparently took exception to Franklin’s hitting Eagles running back Kenny Gainwell late on consecutive plays, which led Kelce to push Franklin onto the ground, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Josh Tolentino. Punches were subsequently thrown, and both teams’ benches cleared.
Franklin was asked about the fight afterward, and he implied the Eagles weren’t ready to practice at the same speed as the Colts. Franklin ended his comments with a message that seemed to be directed to the veteran Kelce and looking ahead to Thursday’s Colts-Eagles preseason game.
“Sometimes your speed ain’t their speed. People get offended. That’s life,” Franklin said, via Fox59’s Brett Bensley. “Thought the OGs would at least look me in the eye before, but it’s all good. I might get a chance to look them in the eye on Thursday, so we’re going to be O.K.”
Zaire Franklin on the brawl: "Thought the OGs would at least look me in the eye... but it's all good. I might get a chance to look them in the eye on Thursday." #Colts https://t.co/BDEF2R9TgM pic.twitter.com/AQw3tbpi3e
— Brett Bensley (@brettbensley) August 22, 2023
Kelce expressed regret over the incident during a post-practice media session Tuesday, stating that he felt “shame” for how quickly the situation escalated.
“I let my emotions get the better of me,” Kelce said, via NBC Sports Philly’s Dave Zangaro. “That certainly doesn’t belong out there on the field. Just a little bit of shame that it got to that level, that I did what I did. So, certainly not happy about that. I think very highly of the guys that were out there, in particular 44 Zaire, I think he’s a tremendous player. ... They brought a lot of intensity today, which made practice intense, and I think I didn’t handle things properly.”
Jason Kelce takes blame for starting the scuffle at the end of practice. He says it shouldn’t have happened. pic.twitter.com/rCQAey3zx7
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) August 22, 2023
