Fight Is Costly to Chiefs’ Lineman

Offensive tackle John Tait will miss two weeks of the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp after a fight with a rookie teammate left him with cuts that needed 17 stitches to close.

Tait, the starting right tackle, also had his nose broken in the fight with defensive lineman Eddie Freeman on Tuesday in River Falls, Wis., and emerged from the scuffle bleeding from his eyebrow and nose.

“He had my helmet and hit me with it. It wasn’t his fist,” Tait said Wednesday. “It’s common knowledge he had my helmet in his hand and he swung it back and hit me with it.”

Freeman, a second-round draft pick from Alabama-Birmingham, has been involved in several scuffles since the Chiefs opened practice on Friday. He was subdued Wednesday.

“I’m the young new guy on the block. It was just in the heat of battle,” the 310-pound Freeman said. “I’m going to talk to him today.”

Chief Coach Dick Vermeil said he had not talked with Freeman, whom he called “a hothead.”

“But I talked with the team about it,” Vermeil said. “Fights happen in football. You never know who threw the first punch.”

Vermeil has said he did not plan any disciplinary action against Freeman, but Tait wasn’t sure he agreed.

“He apologized to me yesterday. But it was right after it happened and I couldn’t talk to him at the time,” Tait said. “It’s not like I want to kill Eddie. But I definitely think perhaps some disciplinary action should be taken. Maybe even for myself.”

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The Minnesota Vikings went through practice in Mankata, Minn., in high heat and humidity--conditions eerily similar to those in which Korey Stringer collapsed exactly a year ago. He died the next day.

It’s impossible for the Vikings to forget what happened and how much they miss the man everyone called “Big K.”

“We’ve got a couple weeks here,” receiver Randy Moss said, “so it is going to be very hard to say we’re going to move on. We still have flashes and still reminisce on the good times and also the bad times.”

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St. Louis Ram defensive end Tyoka Jackson will be sidelined three to six weeks with cartilage damage in his right knee, putting his status for the season opener in jeopardy.

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Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells will be a full-time studio analyst on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” this season.... Safety Mike Brown of the Chicago Bears broke a small bone in his right hand and could miss the first two exhibition games.... Miami Dolphin quarterback Jay Fiedler returned to practice on a limited basis after missing almost three weeks while recovering from left hip surgery.... The Arizona Cardinals’ depleted defensive line took another hit when rookie tackle Nate Dwyer broke his left hand.... Prosecutors in Baton Rouge, La., have dropped charges against Kansas City receiver Eddie Kennison, who was arrested in September following a dispute with a nightclub security guard. Kennison played at Louisiana State.