Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy says a recent incident involving Cowboys defensive tackle Albert Huggins was unacceptable.
Huggins ran into a Los Angeles Rams intern during a drill, knocking the smaller staffer to the ground in a joint practice Wednesday.
McCarthy addressed the incident Thursday.
"Obviously, his behavior is unacceptable," McCarthy said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. "It’s something that’s been addressed. He has apologized, and I’m comfortable with his apology. I was obviously on the offensive side of the field when it happened.
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McCarthy added that he consulted with Rams coaches Sean McVay and Mike Zimmer about next steps after the initial hit.
"I had a chance to talk to Mike Zimmer and Sean McVay. When it did happen, we removed him from practice," McCarthy said. "Frankly, when I saw the video a few hours later after the practice, I called Sean again. His response to me was, ‘You’d have been proud the way your coaches reacted.’ I just want to make sure that behavior is unacceptable. Emotional discipline in that moment. That’s not what we’re about, and he clearly understands that."
The coaches prevented the incident from escalating. Some loud words between Rams and Cowboys players and coaches were exchanged on the field, but the drill carried on as usual afterward.
An equipment intern was reportedly standing in for a play to represent a quarterback in the pocket for a drill. The hit came on a play in which Huggins charged around Rams guard Grant Miller. When he got into the backfield, Huggins finished the play, going up to the intern and pushing him to the ground.
The 27-year-old Huggins is 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, and he has no career sacks. He signed with the Cowboys Aug. 6 after a one-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. He previously played for the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots and the Cowboys' archrival, the Philadelphia Eagles, where he started his career after going undrafted in 2019 out of Clemson.
The Rams had just come off a 13-12 preseason victory over the Cowboys Sunday.
The two teams are not scheduled to meet in the regular season this year. However, they could both be contenders for a playoff spot and a potential postseason meeting.
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