Bears' Bennett, Fuller Involved in Heated Confrontation Monday

The Chicago Bears have been getting really physical in the early stages of training camp, and the intensity amplified even more Monday as Martellus Bennett and Kyle Fuller got involved in a heated altercation.

Bennett, Fuller Latest Scuffle at Training Camp

The Chicago Bears have had their fair share of scuffles at training camp so far, but arguably the most serious confrontation of camp occurred on Monday when rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller and tight end Martellus Bennett got into an altercation during red zone drills.

On the play, Bennett caught a pass just short of the goal line, and it appeared that Fuller was trying to strip the ball from Bennett’s hands, but he grabbed onto the tight end’s shoulder pads and brought him to the ground. Bennett immediately got up, grabbed Fuller by the jersey, and slammed him to the ground. The two continued going at it before being separated by teammates.

After that initial confrontation, players from the offense and defense continued to exchange words in the huddle. After a few more tense moments, head coach Marc Trestman blew the rest of the drill dead and had players go into their walk-throughs for the remainder of the practice.

During that final bit of practice, Bennett and Fuller appeared to make up when they exchanged a couple of words and a brief high-five.

“We really are a family, and sometimes families fight and have moments like that,” Trestman said of the fracas. “It’s a disciplinary issue, and in terms of hurting the football team, this would resonate on a Sunday afternoon or a Monday night. It hurts our team in all three phases, and our players understand that. You see things happen like that, and that’s not really who these people are.”

Fuller spoke to the media briefly after practice, but Bennett declined comment as he walked off the field after doing some light work.

Several Bears Miss First Practice Back from Chicago

Several other Bears players missed practice on Monday as the team held their first post-Soldier Field workout. Jared Allen was once again not on the field for practice, with Tim Jennings and Eben Britton both sitting out as well. Shaun Draughn, who was surprisingly named the back-up running back on the team’s first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, also wasn’t practicing, but came to the field late in the session wearing shorts and a jersey.

On the “good news” side of the ledger, Kyle Long participated in several drills during practice and did all of the conditioning work as well with his teammates. Chris Conte also got a bit of light work in as he caught balls on another field on campus.

Odds and Ends

-One of the more intriguing parts of camp so far has been the musical selection that the coaching staff is using to simulate gameday noise. With the sound cranked up to 89 decibels, the team was treated to a variety of selections, including “We Dem Boys” by Wiz Khalifa and “Tip it Back” by the Florida-Georgia Line. Surprisingly, Trestman still hasn’t played any Prince songs, despite his friend Bobby Z being a member of the legendary artist’s band.

-Alshon Jeffery looked tremendous during practice again today. Early on he robbed Fuller of what looked like a sure interception as he drove his shoulder into the rookie’s pads and grabbed a pass from Cutler. Later on in 11-on-11 drills, Jeffery made his signature move as he went over the top of cornerback Kelvin Hayden and snared a pass for a long gain.

-The rotating battle at safety continued on Monday as Adrian Wilson and Ryan Mundy lined up together for first team reps. Brock Vereen, listed as the starting free safety on the first depth chart, was taking second team reps with Danny McCray during practice.

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