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Seattle Seahawks

Fists fly as Ethan Pocic, Jarran Reed sidelined on sixth day of Seahawks training camp

Seattle Seahawks’ Jarran Reed tosses aside a football at  training camp Thursday  in Renton, Wash. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
By Bob Condotta Seattle Times

RENTON, Wash. – While there were no pads, and theoretically no real hitting, Day 6 of Seahawks training camp turned out to be as eventful as any so far.

There was a fight between offensive lineman Ethan Pocic and defensive tackle Jarran Reed that resulted in both being sidelined for the rest of practice. Pocic was ejected, so he headed toward the locker room after throwing his helmet to the ground and being restrained by teammates, many of whom had initially helped pull him out of the pile that quickly developed as punches were thrown.

And there was a brief scary moment when receiver Tyler Lockett hit the ground hard and trainers scurried over. Lockett, though, only had the wind knocked out of him and returned to action soon.

As for the fight, it resulted in a little extra running after practice as well as a quick talking-to from coach Pete Carroll, who addressed the team after practice to remind them of the damage that such a fight could do during a game if a player or two were really ejected.

“It’s really important for us to recognize how devastating that can be in a game when you’ve only got so many guys,” Carroll said. “If you lose one position, it can change the whole complexion of the game for you, and we can not resort to that at any time.”

Such fights are common in training camp, and the good news is that no one appeared to suffer any injuries in the process. Order was quickly restored, and play resumed without any further incidents.

Carroll joked he was glad to eject and fine the players, as would surely happen during the regular season.

It was unclear what led to the fight, other than emotions getting heated on a hot day near the end of practice. Pocic was again working with the first team at left guard with Mike Iupati (University of Idaho) sitting out with a sprained foot. Iupati may be back in a day or two, and Carroll said he could have practiced had it been necessary.

“That’s just true training camp right there,” safety Bradley McDougald said. “Guys are going to scuffle, tempers are flared up, it’s hot out here and guys are competing to the ultimate so, it’s just normal training camp activity. We will hash it out and be brothers in the locker room.”