Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was involved in a brawl with the Titans during a joint practice on Wednesday.
The second-year signal-caller had just unloaded a deep touchdown pass to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III when a scrum broke out and players from both sidelines joined the melee.
“They had a lot of words throughout practice, so I gave my words and went a little bit too far. I don’t know. [But] that was somebody else.” Penix said after practice, according to Sports Illustrated.
Penix emerged from the skirmish uninjured, although his teammates had to come to his aid, per ESPN.
“I don’t know where I was at in it,” Penix said, according to the outlet. “It was a lot of people. I knew I was down there somewhere. I wasn’t the only one, though.
“I’m glad they did, because obviously that’s not something that we want to be doing in practice,” Penix continued. “We want to get all reps in, get that good work in. But it went how it went. But to see the team have my back and they were there, make sure they protect me. A lot of guys asked me if I was good, and it was good to know that those guys had my back.”
Falcons quarterback coach DJ Williams told ESPN the team would rather not have its QB1 getting into fights on the field, but took “some positive out of it.”
“Like you saw the guys take up for him, and I think that speaks to his leadership and who he is in that locker room,” Williams said. “Obviously as coaches we’re upstairs, they’re downstairs. We don’t really see a lot, but obviously he has a relationship and the trust of the guys because everybody ran to his defense. So, I think that’s a good thing for the Falcons.”
Penix, who was drafted No. 8 overall by the Falcons in 2024, is entering his first full season as Atlanta’s starting quarterback.
“That’s what it’s about, you know, protecting your brothers. That I grew up on,” Penix said. “We’ve got each other’s backs to ride with each other, right or wrong.”
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