Following Monday's fight between Seattle Seahawks teammates Doug Baldwin and Richard Sherman, Baldwin addressed Michael Bennett’s comments about when one has "crossed the line" of competitiveness during practice.
The Seahawks defensive end said there is a certain code players should follow so they don't jeopardize a teammate’s health or, as Bennett added, his livelihood. Bennett's criticism didn't exactly sit well with Baldwin, who caught 78 passes for 1,069 yards and an NFL-best 14 touchdowns last season.
Bennett, of course, has been booted from practice twice this month for his own quarrels with teammates.
MORE: NFL division rankings
"I mean, yes, there is a ‘code.’ But Mike B. doesn’t always necessarily operate by that code, either," Baldwin said Tuesday, via the Tacoma News Tribune, which detailed the incident. "It's hard to take him serious when he talks about other guys taking food off his kids’ plate — when he is driving around here with 10 different cars, you know?
"It’s all relative. You take it with a grain of salt."
Baldwin admitted to being an agitator at times during practice. He said Monday's scuffle with Sherman was a result of Sherman getting frustrated that the Seahawks receivers were "getting the best out of him and the defensive backs this year."
MORE: Michael Bennett kicked out of another Seahawks' practice
Sherman came across the line of scrimmage before the next play and went after Baldwin, who was also his teammate at Stanford. The fight left Baldwin with a bruised forehead and a few stitches on the bridge of his nose after his helmet was pulled down over his head, according to the report. Baldwin shrugged off the fight with the Pro Bowl cornerback as simply "football stuff," saying it's not the first time in the 10 years they've known each other that they've come to blows, but they've always laughed it off.
"We don’t like it just to be peas and carrots all the time in practice," Baldwin told the paper. "We want to bring out that competitive nature. We want to see the dog in guys so we can bring out the best in their abilities.
"So, yeah, not too concerned about it. We’ll probably taper it down here a little bit as we get closer to the season, to make sure we are all healthy and focused on the task at hand."
In other words, try to follow the code most of the time.