The New York Giants will put on the pads for the first time on Monday, which means tempers are likely to flare and fists may begin to fly.
That may sound dramatic, but it’s just the nature of NFL training camps. And when considering the Giants will also hold intrasquad scrimmages once per week, it seems almost inevitable that a few punches will be thrown.
With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of the biggest and most memorable Giants training camp fights from recent years.
2019: Lorenzo Carter vs. Nick Gates
The Giants didn’t do much fighting in 2019, but there were a few dust-ups.
One such incident came last August when linebacker Lorenzo Carter and offensive lineman Nick Gates got into a bit of a scrap.
While neither player swung at the other, there were a few shoves before teammates swarmed and pulled the two apart.
Haven’t had a fight all #Giants camp: Lorenzo Carter and Nick Gates has to be separated in scout team work just now. Slightly more than half speed. Here’s the aftermath pic.twitter.com/9rVaJ2lCDa
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) August 6, 2019
2018: Damon Harrison vs. Will Hernandez
The Giants have had some ugly training vamp fights in their history, but the scrap between veteran defensive tackle Damon Harrison and then-rookie guard Will Hernandez may have been the most potentially dangerous.
We say potentially because luck won out that day.
Harrison and Hernandez got tangled up on a running play and during the exchange, Hernandez’s helmet popped off. Harrison was quick to pick it up and then proceeded to swing it at Hernandez’s head.
It missed. Luckily. Had it connected, there is no telling how damaging it could have been.
Will Hernandez’s helmet just came off as he was tangled with Damon Harrison, and Harrison had Hernandez’s helmet in his hand and swung it at Hernandez’s unprotected head and JUST missed. Disgusting. Hernandez then threw a couple major punches before team broke it up #Giants pic.twitter.com/k8As1Y1KGc
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) June 14, 2018
Compounding the issue, left tackle Nate Solder had his leg rolled up on during the melee and was later examined by team doctors.
“It is competitive up there. Snacks is a very competitive guy and Will Hernandez is very competitive out there,” then-head coach Pat Shurmur said. “They just kind of butted heads.”
Hernandez got into at least five camp fights as a rookie and Harrison was no stranger to them himself. Snacks was, however, traded two months later.
2018: Olivier Vernon vs. Wayne Gallman
2018 was a chippy year for the Giants and it seemed no one on the team was immune from the rising tensions.
Early in camp, veteran edge rusher Oliver Vernon and second-year running back Wayne Gallman got into the first fight of the year, and it was somewhat ugly.
Vernon hit Gallman hard during a practice rep and the running back took exception to it, throwing the ball back at the 261-pounder. A few pushes were exchanged before Vernon picked Gallman up and slammed him to the ground.
First scuffle of camp. Olivier Vernon slams Wayne Gallman, who shoves OV from behind. Tempers flare.
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) July 30, 2018
2017: Damon Harrison vs. Bobby Hart
The Giants were extremely chippy in 2017 and over a several day span, they saw multiple scuffles and full-on fights break out in camp.
In their first padded practice of the year, defensive lineman Damon Harrison and offensive lineman Bobby Hart had to be separated by teammates after a verbal exchange turned physical.
Later that year, after Hart had been waived, it was revealed by the New York Post that the two continued to have issues and that it had again boiled over in the locker room.
The source said defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison was so angered by Hart’s antics back in the summer that the two almost came to blows.
“They should have let Snacks fight him, then we wouldn’t have had to play with him all year long,” the source said. “He was being a punk and he was called out by Snacks and Snacks had to be held back by four big human beings not to beat the living life out of him.”
Also around that time in 2017, running back Orleans Darkwa and linebacker B.J. Goodson got into it, as did offensive lineman Justin Pugh and linebacker Devon Kennard, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Eric Pinkins.
Additionally, Pinkins got into a fight with tight end Matt LaCosse that camp, causing an entire drill to be shut down.
Edge rusher Olivier Vernon and offensive lineman Adam Bisnowaty also squared off.
2015: Justin Pugh vs. Damontre Moore
Although it didn’t come out until after he was removed from the team, Damontre Moore was a regular when it came to fighting with his teammates.
During training camp in 2015, Moore was being overly aggressive during drills, which got under the skins of offensive lineman Justin Pugh.
On one particular play, quarterback Eli Manning hit the ground despite wearing a red jersey, which led to some vicious punches being thrown between Pugh and Moore.
Scuffle at Giants camp: Damontre Moore and Justin Pugh taking swings at each other. Pugh ended up without a helmet.
Good times. #NYG— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 3, 2015
After practice, then-head coach Tom Coughlin let his frustrations be known.
“I have a problem with all of them because they’re out there swinging,” Coughlin told reporters at the time. “I’ve been hurt first-hand by a guy who broke his hand in a fight. In the old days they would just wrap it up and play with it. They don’t do that anymore. I was upset about the fight and losing their temper and all that stuff, but the bottom line is you can’t afford to do it. You’ll lose a guy.”
Moore and offensive tackle Ereck Flowers also came to blows during that training camp.
2014: Henry Hynoski vs. Johnathan Hankins
What happens when you pit an old school fullback against a monstrous defensive tackle in one of the first padded practices of camp? A fight, of course.
Back in 2014, Henry Hynoski and Johnathan Hankins got tangled up and had to be separated by their teammates. When all was said and done, Hynoski had his helmet ripped off while both players were restrained by about five players and staff (each).
First fight of training camp is between Henry Hynoski and Johnathan Hankins #giants
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) July 28, 2014
Both Hynoski and Hankins dismissed the fight after practice, claiming it was nothing more than emotions running high on a hot day.
2011: Michael Coe vs. Duke Calhoun
Long before the Giants upended the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, they were breaking up defensive back Michael Coe and wide receiver Duke Calhoun.
On a day that saw wide receiver Devin Thomas and safety Tyler Sash also get into a shoving match, Coe and Calhoun got into a nasty fight that ended with each player ripping the helmet off the other and then Calhoun striking Coe in the head with one of the helmets.
And there's your first legit fight of camp: WR Duke Calhoun and CB Michael Coe. Calhoun hit Coe with his own helmet. #nyg
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 20, 2011
“Half the time I don’t even see it,” then-head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, adding that he “doesn’t care for” the fighting.
2005: Giants vs. Jets
Back in 2005, the New York Giants and New York Jets held joint practices up in Albany and it went about as well as you might expect.
On just the second day of practice, Jeremy Shockey got into it with defensive backs Erik Coleman and Oliver Celestin and the wild tight end decided to take on both by himself. In the blink of an eye, punches were being thrown from every direction.
“I was blocking somebody and I got shoved in the back, and the next thing I know, everybody’s fighting, Shockey told reporters after practice. “There’s no bad blood. That’s how football is. You might as well do it now, when you don’t get fined and Paul Tagliabue can’t take any money out of your pocket. Do it now, get it over with. I’m sure it happens at every other camp.”
The anger spread from there as running back Brandon Jacobs retaliated by running over Jets cornerback Pete Hunter. Jets safety Kerry Rhodes also unleashed a cheap shot on Giants wide receiver Willie Ponder, who suffered an injury as a result.
In fact, things got so heated during these joint practices that Giants head coach Tom Coughlin got into a verbal spat with Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson.
