First rule of training camp: Don't fight at training camp.
The Browns learned that lesson the hard way after a small scuffle between tight end Pharaoh Brown and defensive end Chad Thomas on Sunday.
To ensure that fights don't become a regular occurrence, coach Freddie Kitchens forced the entire team to run sprints as a punishment for Brown and Thomas losing their cool.
Chad Thomas incensed at Pharaoh Brown. Went after him. Freddie puts everyone on the sideline and takes them back to high school with gassers. #Browns pic.twitter.com/azFSngRCMz
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) July 28, 2019
They’re now running sprints as I type this because of this: pic.twitter.com/PkBT1sQYX1
— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) July 28, 2019
It's unclear why Brown and Thomas got into it, but Kitchens is in his first year as the team's head coach and likely was laying down the law to prohibit future distractions from occurring.
Kitchens was hired in January 2019 after beating out interim Browns coach Gregg Williams for the position. He was hired as the running backs coach last season, but after Cleveland fired then-head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator for the rest of 2018.