Inglewood, California – During the fourth quarter of the Chargers’ 22-12 victory over the Raiders on Sunday, both Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer and Raiders cornerback Jack Jones were ejected following an altercation that escalated into a fight involving several players.
The incident occurred after Raiders stopped running back Gus Edwards from achieving a two-point conversion with just 3:40 remaining in the game. Palmer rushed to assist wide receiver Ladd McConkey in blocking safety Marcus Epps, which led to a confrontation with Jones. As multiple players attempted to intervene, additional skirmishes broke out.
After the game, Jones did not comment on the incident, but Palmer mentioned he was surprised by his ejection, stating he did not throw any punches despite being struck multiple times, including once by Jones earlier in the match.
“They came and started throwing punches, but we’re not going to be punching bags,” Palmer explained, emphasizing that there was “no bad blood” between him, Jones, or the Raiders. He suggested that the Raiders might have felt frustrated by the aggressive blocking from the Chargers’ receivers.
“It’s not personal. There’s no bad blood,” Palmer reiterated. “We’re just doing our jobs as hard as we can without trying to hurt anyone.”
Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston was among the first to intervene in the scuffle between Palmer and Jones but was pulled down by Raiders linebacker Maxx Crosby, igniting yet another altercation. Eventually, Chargers coaches, including Jim Harbaugh and linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman, joined the field to quell the fight, with Bowman encouraging the crowd afterwards.
“I was just there for my teammates,” Johnston stated. “[Crosby] was there for his teammates, and it turned out how it turned out.”
Describing the incident as a “melee,” Harbaugh noted, “Just trying to get our guys back, get ’em separated, keep the rest of the guys coming.” He stated that the team did not discuss the fight after the game.
Meanwhile, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce labeled the fight as “inexcusable” and a mark of “undisciplined” behavior.
“It’s just not worth it,” Pierce remarked. “They scored, I mean, they kicked our ass. They scored. Let it go.”