Brothers fight. And in a game that is as competitive as football, brothers will disagree, and sometimes those disagreements can become physical.
In the Washington Football Team’s 56-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, cameras showed Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne yelling toward his longtime with Washington and Alabama, Jonathan Allen. At one point, Payne stood up and put his finger in Allen’s face, brushing the side of his head.
Allen, understandably, took exception, getting up and swinging at Payne. Teammates quickly intervened, but it took a while for Payne to calm down.
After the game, both players spoke to the media and downplayed the incident.
“When things are going bad like they are, things get heated,” Allen said, describing the incident. “I think everybody saw what happened. I think the important thing is to move forward from it. Shit happens. Brothers fight.”
Allen was asked what caused the incident.
“If you look at how the game went, emotions are hot. Things are hot. Things happen,” Allen said.
Payne also spoke to the media, and while he didn’t have as much to say, he offered the same thoughts as Allen.
“Just a little disagreement,” Payne said. “Maybe the wrong place, wrong time to have it.”
Are the two longtime teammates good now?
“All good,” Payne answered. “You got brothers? Y’all fight, don’t you?”
I believe both players when they say it’s over. Too often, we look for things that do not exist. The issue here was this incident occurred on national television during a blowout loss. So, of course, it would be on the highlight reels of social media and every sports highlight show.
Allen was at Alabama when Payne enrolled in 2015. The pair have been teammates for a total of seven seasons. Allen is one of the best players in the NFL and a respected team captain. Allen and Payne are close. If there are any lingering issues, the pair will resolve them behind closed doors.
Everyone should move on from this incident.