WATCH: Ravens-Commanders joint practice ends with punches thrown as Emmanuel Forbes, Tylan Wallace fight it out
The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders are having joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is a rare occasion for the two teams that play just about 45 miles away from each other.
Both teams saw this as an opportunity for more reps ahead of their matchup next Monday night. However, Tuesday's first practice between the two teams ended on a sour note.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace and Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes got into an altercation after a play. Punches were thrown by both players which led to a bench-clearing situation for both sides.
Wallace appeared to throw the first punch as he didn't seem to like the way that Forbes held on to him in coverage. According to NFL reporter Arye Pulli, the situation escalated quickly. Ravens veteran tight Mark Andrews ended up in the middle of the altercation, as did Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh and Washington head coach Ron Rivera tried to de-escalate the situation, calling their teams off the field. That didn't stop Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin from saying a few words to the Ravens' defense.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera had a stern warning ahead of joint practice
The Washington Commanders hadn't held a joint practice with another NFL team since 2018. The team typically prefers to save its competitive nature for the field.
Ahead of the joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens, Washington head coach Ron Rivera had an important message for his team. Here's what he said to reporters:
"Next time we're on the practice field it's going to be competitive. We're not there to beat anybody up. We're there to play against somebody and learn and grow and develop. I was very direct about that and I'm going to be very direct in the next couple meetings we have leading right up to practice. We don't want to go around and b***s***."
Rivera's message of participating in a joint practice and not engaging in any altercation appears to have been ignored.
Wallace wasn't the first wide receiver upset with Emmanuel Forbes. Earlier in the practice on Tuesday morning, veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wasn't happy with his coverage either. Beckham was seen pushing Forbes away from him after he caught the ball.