There was no shortage of action during Thursday’s joint practice between the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. While these types of offseason workouts usually take on a more relaxed atmosphere, it also isn’t uncommon for the level of competition to rise above acceptable levels. This is exactly what happened on Thursday after Patriots LB Anfernee Jennings was kicked out of practice for what was described as a “blindside hit” on Packers rookie LB Keshawn Banks.
Things Got Chippy in Packers-Patriots Joint Practice
Patriots beat reporter Dakota Randall shared the details of the incident that led to Jennings’ ejection:
“Packers LB Keshawn Banks appeared to take a swing at Keion White during a punt drill, and Jennings ran over and delivered a gnarly blindside hit. He immediately took his helmet off and left the field,” Randall wrote.
As it turns out, it was Banks who started the melee after taking a swing at Patriots rookie Keion White. Jennings obviously did not appreciate the act of violence, so he decided to stand up for his teammate. Jennings reportedly ran a full 20 yards before leveling Banks.
For his part, Banks was also tossed from practice for his role in the fracas. Reporters were able to get a hold of the rookie shortly after practice, and in his defense, Banks was brutally honest with his explanation:
“Matt came up to me and said, ‘Did you throw a punch?’ and I’m just an honest, truthful person. That’s the way I was raised and I said, ‘Yes sir,'” Banks said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “Sure enough, I left practice shortly after.”
The silver lining here is that at least the incident did not escalate into a full-on brawl. Things could have been much uglier if other players got involved. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.
The Packers and the Patriots take to the field for their preseason contest on Sunday.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
