Eskimos officials talk down shovel-wielding player

Edmonton Eskimo officials had to talk down Xzavie Jackson after the defensive tackle looked to settle a score with a teammate with a shovel Thursday.

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.

"It happens. You guys saw it, that's all," defensive tackle Dario Romero told reporters.

Fiacconi did not comment, but Hall did address the incident.

"To some degree I'm disappointed, just because we are a football team and our opposition is the other teams, not ourselves," said Hall.

"At the same time, I do understand 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. "

"They're grown men and stuff, so am I concerned regarding it? I don't think it's an issue, but it's something you have to address just because it's something that happened. "

"The bottom line is we are a team, we are a family and those things are going to happen."

Jackson is currently on the Eskimos' practice roster.