During a joint practice Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Albert Huggins pushed a Los Angeles Rams staff member to the ground during a drill.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and company ejected Huggins from the practice.
Dallas Cowboys DL Albert Huggins was immediately confronted
!['Unacceptable': Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Makes Strong Statement on Shove of LA Rams Staff 1 dallas cowboys albert huggins](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_16625381.jpg)
Instantly after Huggins shoved the Rams staff member to the ground, several Rams players confronted him. Huggins wasn’t only confronted by members of the Rams, but one of his coaches confronted him as well.
WILD: #Cowboys DT Albert Huggins SHOVED a #Rams staff member to the ground after a play…
(h/t @jonmachota)pic.twitter.com/06G7eGta7S
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 14, 2024
Huggins was immediately removed from the drill by Cowboys personnel. He was done with practice for the day after the incident.
Huggins gave the Rams linemen a middle finger on his way out of the joint practice.
Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy spoke on the incident
!['Unacceptable': Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Makes Strong Statement on Shove of LA Rams Staff 2 Dec 19, 2021; East Rutherford, N.J., USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy during the first half of their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_17385035-scaled-e1723694201598.webp)
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy during the first half of their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy addressed the incident when talking to the media Wednesday. McCarthy condemned Huggins’ behavior and explained that he had talks with Rams coaches in an article from Pro Football Talk.
“Obviously, his behavior is unacceptable,” McCarthy said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “It’s something that’s been addressed. He has apologized, and I’m comfortable with his apology. I was obviously on the offensive side of the field when it happened. I had a chance to talk to Mike Zimmer and Sean McVay.
“When it did happen, we removed him from practice. Frankly, when I saw the video a few hours later after the practice, I called Sean again. His response to me was, ‘You’d have been proud the way your coaches reacted.’ I just want to make sure that behavior is unacceptable. Emotional discipline in that moment. That’s not what we’re about, and he clearly understands that.”
Fans were upset with Dallas Cowboys DL Albert Huggins
!['Unacceptable': Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Makes Strong Statement on Shove of LA Rams Staff 3 USATSI 23118350 168400517 lowres](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/USATSI_23118350_168400517_lowres.jpg)
Cowboys fans and non-Cowboys fans alike took to social media to lambast Huggins for his behavior during the joint practice.
Many fans called Huggins a “coward” for running away after shoving the Rams staff member, while non-Cowboys fans are saying this is typical behavior from a player donning the big blue star.
Typical cowboys behavior
— BrownsMuse (@CleBrownsMuse) August 14, 2024
this is lame
— alex 🏹 (@aCNZ0) August 14, 2024
Look at him runaway after he did it. Coward!
— Gridiron Media (@Gridiron_Media_) August 14, 2024
Only sack he will get all year
— NGBxTA aka “5Star” Thomas Adams (@NGBxTA) August 14, 2024
Glad to see that the Cowboys staff jumped all over him and it didn’t break out into a fight.
— Goodspeed 🐏 🏠 (@d_goodspeed) August 14, 2024
Albert Thuggins. Anyone saying that was an accident is blind. Typical cowboys behavior
— Philly Sports Truther (@PSportsTruther) August 14, 2024
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