It didn’t take long after pads came on for the 49ers training camp practices to get chippy. Things got out of hand quick Tuesday though after a pair of fights broke out and forced head coach Kyle Shanahan to stop the session to cool things off.
Shanahan wasn’t happy with the high level of physicality after middle linebacker Fred Warner seemed to initiate both kerfuffles.
Matt Barrows of the Athletic said Warner smacking at the ball after the play pushed Brandon Aiyuk to react, causing the first bit of extracurricular fighting. Aiyuk’s fellow WR Deebo Samuel jumped into the fray as things escalated that time.
The second fight turned into a brawl. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner said a high hit from Warner on WR Marcus Johnson led Aiyuk and the linebacker to square up as if they were in a boxing ring.
#49ers A wild day with a couple of fights as things escalated between WR Brandon Aiyuk and LB Fred Warner. At one point, Aiyuk and Warner squared up like an actual boxing match which led to full fledged brawl. A Warner hit on WR Marcus Johnson seemed to spur that one.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 2, 2022
This seemed like it was bound to happen at some point. Warner, a typically talkative player, has pestered Aiyuk throughout camp.
Warner told reporters his goal was to push Aiyuk to be great.
“I chose him out,” Warner said in a press conference early in training camp. “I specifically said that, and I’ll say why. I think he’s ready to make that next step into playing at an elite level, right? Ever since he’s gotten here in the last couple years, I’ve kind of gotten after him a little bit, going around the locker room and around the building because I know how much he has in him. And I know if I nag him a little bit he’s going to get sick and tired of that and kind of hold his own. And so I like what I see out of BA. He works super hard, and he’s starting to really gain that mindset of knowing that he’s the guy and he’s capable. And I’m just trying to get the best out of him. And that’s it.”
Warner’s goal of pushing Aiyuk to a breaking point worked Tuesday and the receiver finally fought back.
Shanahan stopped practice after the second fight and brought the team together for what was likely an unhappy discussion about practice etiquette.
Fights in training camp aren’t necessarily rare and they’re typically borne out of competitive juices flowing and players getting fed up with one another after weeks of practicing together.
The good news for San Francisco is they won’t have to only face each other for much longer. They’ll open their preseason slate against the Packers on Aug. 12, then they’ll travel to Minnesota for joint practices with the Vikings ahead of their Aug. 20 preseason showdown.
