Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys LB: Rams' cheap shot sparked practice brawl

Published Aug. 20, 2015 6:23 p.m. ET

Ross Jones

Some finger-pointing has arisen as to what sparked the Dallas Cowboys-St. Louis Rams practice brawl on Thursday.

Cowboys linebacker Andrew Gachkar, who seemed to ignite the initial fight, said that he was victim of a cheap shot on a cut block by Rams center Demetrius Rhaney.

"That's what it was," Gachkar said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "He knows better than to cut me in an NFL practice, you know? He knew what he was doing. ... He was coming at me and we were about to meet each other, and he went down. You just don't do that in practice. ... It's a legal block in a game, but you don't do that in practice."

Gachkar also noted that the intensity started to rise after the Rams attempted a peel-back block on linebacker Jasper Brinkley. However, defensive end Randy Gregory acknowledged that he started the second fight on the ensuing play after he got run over by Rams rookie offensive tackle Isaiah Battle.

While the league sent a memo to all 32 teams saying fighting won't be tolerated, the NFL also ruled it a club matter. Don't expect the Cowboys or Rams to take any action regardless of who started the fights.