The Detroit Lions and New York Giants took part in legendary joint practices last week, but they were legendary for all the wrong reasons.
The two sessions saw a ridiculous amount of fights break out between the two teams, with the first day having as many as 10. The second day got off to a calm start, but chaos ensued later on. Both teams ended up getting fined by the league.
One of the catalysts for Day 1 brawls was Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, who was labeled as a "troublemaker" by one Giants beat reporter. Onwuzurike also drew the ire of Giants head coach Brian Daboll after he got a little too close to quarterback Daniel Jones on one rep.
Here is #Lions coach Dan Campbell pulling DLineman/ troublemaker Levi Onwuzurike off the field after he starts another scuffle. Looked to me like #Giants’ Brian Daboll took Malik Nabers off the field after his fight, too pic.twitter.com/Y1p94Q08oG
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) August 6, 2024
After Sunday's practice, Onwuzurike addressed the scuffles he and his teammates had with Giants players.
“Even though we made it as far as we did, we’re still the gritty Detroit Lions," Onwuzurike said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "We’re not gonna take any s---, but we’re also gonna work as hard as we can. Nothing’s easy in this league.”
While the amount of fights the two teams got into wasn't ideal, it was great to see the embattled Lions lineman showing plenty of fire and confidence.
Onwuzurike is finally healthy and has been having an excellent offseason thus far, putting him in prime position to revive his career in 2024.
"I love football," Onwuzurike said, according to Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press. "Before, I liked football, but when you're healthy, you understand why guys love this. One, when you are healthy and two, when you go to the playoffs, like you truly understand the reason you started playing football. So I mean I am truly blessed to be healthy right now."
