49ers’ Kyle Shanahan says players don’t have to fight to be ‘intense’

NFL training camps often include a fight because the players have waited for months to return to their pads. 

But there’s a line, and the San Francisco 49ers apparently crossed it on Tuesday. 

After two punches were thrown, Kyle Shanahan (Niners head coach) stopped practice on Tuesday. Shanahan called a meeting mid-practice after two fights between Brandon Aiyuk (linebacker) and Fred Warner (wide receiver). 

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Shanahan stated Friday that she loves the intensity of the sport. However, I don’t believe you need to fight to be intense. Scuffles can lead to other things. Because he took an inexplicable shot on someone, it led to a big fight. Then we had a lot more haymakers and stuff, which only broke our hands.

“I believe our team is quite tough. I believe we are very physical. If most people voted for the most physically active team last year, I believe we would win most of it. We didn’t even get in one fight last season. So I don’t believe that this is a complete measure of toughness.

Warner and Aiyuk had a second altercation after Warner made a late hit to wide receiver Marcus Johnson. Johnson ended up in the concussion protocol. 

Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers head coach, watches as the players participate in drills at Santa Clara’s practice facility, California on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022.
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

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According to ESPN, Warner said that “specifically with Brandon, he was my choice.” “I believe he’s ready and willing to take that next step towards playing at an elite level. Because I know how much he is capable of, I’ve tried to get after him. He’ll get tired of me nagging him and will eventually learn to do his own thing. He has started to realize that he is a man and that he is capable. I want to get the best from him. That’s it.”

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Practice was disrupted by fights on Wednesday. Malcolm Roach and Trevor Penning, New Orleans Saints offensive linesman, were removed from practice because of fighting. 

John Lynch, the general manager of San Francisco 49ers and Kyle Shanahan, the head coach, observe players warming up at Santa Clara’s practice facility on June 1, 2022.
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

“We don’t have time for that… We gotta get our work done,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “We must learn together how to compete, how play, and how practice can help us push ourselves to the limit but not go over the edge.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.