Frank Clark apologized to Seahawks teammates after fight in practice
Aug 11, 2017, 2:57 PM
Pete Carrol said Frank Clark is "most remorseful" after punching Germain Ifedi. (AP)
(AP)
RENTON – Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said defensive end Frank Clark “talked from his heart” and said everything he needed to say after punching teammate Germain Ifedi during a fight in practice last week.
“Frank is most remorseful about it, and he expressed that to his teammates and guaranteed them he would never go there again” Carroll told “Brock and Salk” Friday morning before speaking with the media at-large after practice. “So some really good moments and I think we’re better for it.”
Here was Cliff Avril on Frank Clark apologizing to the team after his fight with Germain Ifedi. pic.twitter.com/oVILMOnTyl
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) August 11, 2017
Clark and Ifedi have both returned to practice after missing time following their fight last Thursday, which involved Clark punching a helmetless Ifedi in the face in the middle of a large scrum of players. Carroll’s comments implied that Clark’s absence in practice after that was punitive and not because of the knee injury he was dealing with, though tweets from Clark seemed to suggest otherwise.
Neither player has been made available to the media since the fight.
Carroll called the incident a “teachable moment,” though it was not a lesson he wanted to revisit.
“It was really stepping out of line,” Carroll said of Clark’s actions. “We had talked (at the start of camp about how) fights aren’t OK and we weren’t going to allow that to happen in any way, and then when something did break out, we pounced on it, on the opportunity to understand that everybody is on your team. This is one team; it isn’t offense, defense. Over the years we’ve always really heightened the competition, which is part of the way we do it, which we’re still doing, but there’s a line to be drawn there and also an understanding of how we do represent one another.
“I think we’re stronger for it, I think we’ve come back better because of it. Unfortunately, it took a bad incident to get that done, and both guys have really bounced back.”
