We've already established this week that the football fans in Canada are more determined in their efforts to grab attention than their counterparts in the States. On Thursday, we learned that the players are a notch or two above their American counterparts on the crazy meter, as well. Take, for example, the case of Edmonton Eskimos defensive tackle Xzavie Jackson who was involved in a skirmish on the practice field with teammate Aaron Fiacconi.Now, fights on the practice field and feuds in the locker room are nothing new in sports, especially on the gridiron. Stuff happens. Tempers flare. Emotions get the best of people.
What makes the Jackson vs. Fiacconi throwdown notable, and somewhat different than your typical practice scuffle, is the fact it involved Jackson leaving the practice field and returning with a shovel he found behind a dumpster. You know, so he could dig his way out of the hole he put himself in.
From TSN:
The incident occurred after a practice altercation between six-foot-four 285-pound Jackson and six-foot-four, 298-pound centre Aaron Fiacconi. No one intervened in the tussle. Jackson, who got the worst of it, flung off his practice jersey and headed off the field -- returning with a shovel from behind some nearby dumpsters. Jackson's shouts alerted head coach Richie Hall and general manager Danny Maciocia, who stopped him from entering the field at Clarke Park and talked him back down to reality before he was escorted to the dressing room by a team doctor.Head coach Rich Hall added that he was disappointed because they're a football team, but, at the same time, understands "that like in a family, sometimes some things don't go as smoothly as you want. We'll address it with those guys and we'll take care of matters."
Jackson is currently on the Eskimos practice roster and has recorded four tackles in 2009. The Eskimos are in a three-way tie for first-place in the CFL's West Division with a 6-5 mark, and host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (not to be confused with the now defunct Ottawa Rough Riders) on Saturday.
*Picture is, obviously, completely unrelated to the story, but we had no access to Edmonton Eskimos pictures and it was the best one we could find in our library that featured a shovel. So, enjoy!
(H/T SportsbyBrooks)
