Jets CBs coach taken to hospital after training-camp fight
from Victor Barbosa, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Jets cornerbacks coach Tony Oden is doing fine, according to head coach Robert Saleh, after being hit by “friendly fire” during a training camp scuffle between New York and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jets DB coach Tony Oden is being carted off the field after apparently collapsing on the far sideline. He was down for a few minutes as medical personnel surrounded him. Players took knees. He was sitting up in the cart as he went off. #jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 16, 2023
DB coach Tony Oden was taken to the hospital. He caught some “friendly fire” during one of the altercations, per Saleh. Saleh says Oden will be fine. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 16, 2023
The fight that resulted in Oden’s injury was one of a number of altercations involving the two teams on Wednesday. At one point, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic had counted at least “four minor scuffles” between the Jets and Bucs.
Wednesday’s joint session will surely make for some must-watch television when the third episode of this year’s training camp edition of “Hard Knocks” airs on Tuesday.
ESPN analyst and former offensive lineman Damien Woody was among those who were outraged by the punches thrown, calling the actions from the New York and Tampa Bay players “stupid” and a “waste of time.”
The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots admitted that training camp fights were something he’s done before, and he “broke (his) hand doing it.”
Brouhahas are nothing new at NFL training camp, so Wednesday’s news isn’t a stunner. Saleh even preemptively prepared for the possibility of fights by cutting the joint practices with the Buccaneers down to one day instead of the originally scheduled two.
Fortunately, Oden seems like he escaped major injury, and perhaps the squads can use the close call as a learning experience.
New York and Tampa Bay will square off in Week 2 of the preseason at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.