Every team in the NFL has joint practices with another squad during training camp, and it seems like there is some sort of incident or fight in almost every one. For the Las Vegas Raiders, their practice partner was the Los Angeles Rams, and the scuffle involved defensive captain Maxx Crosby.
At the end of a play, Crosby attempted to punch the football out of the hands of Rams running back Cam Akers. The back didn’t take too kindly to Crosby’s actions and let him know about it, leading to a scuffle between the two in which punches were thrown, and eventually both teams had to be separated.
Both Akers and Crosby were ejected from the practice with Crosby having to sit on the sidelines as the Raiders had bussed to the practice. Afterward, Crosby was asked about the skirmish and the Raiders star said Akers simply ‘got what he got,’ via Nick Shook of NFL.com:
“S—, I was just doing what I do, and he didn’t like that,” Crosby said. “So, he got what he got. It is what it is.”
A comment of this nature would seem to imply that Crosby got the better of Akers in the scuffle. Considering the size difference between the two, with Crosby being listed at 6’5 and 255 pounds while Akers is 5’11 and 212, many would assume the same.
But Akers fought back at that assumption on social media, claiming that anyone who witnessed the incident saw what really happened
Somebody ask him what it was I got?Anybody with eyes saw what happened 💀😂 https://t.co/jOqmTZ1uyC
— Cam akers (@thereal_cam3) August 16, 2023
Who “won” the scuffle really isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. Even in standard practices there are always going to be some dustups during training camp, and that rings especially true when two teams get together for a joint practice.
Maxx Crosby is a leader on this Raiders team and is expected to set the tone, but this likely isn’t what the team is looking for on a regular basis. The Raiders reportedly weren’t having the best showing prior to this dustup, and Crosby didn’t exactly deny that he may have been looking to fire his team up with some extracurriculars.
Ultimately this will be forgotten about relatively quickly, but the Raiders can’t afford to lose their cool on a regular basis once the season begins. Crosby remains a leader on this team, and how he goes, the Raiders will follow.
