NYC cops, firefighters brawl during charity football game

A charity football game between New York City’s police and fire departments devolved into an all-out brawl Sunday after a verbal dispute escalated on the field.

New York’s Finest and New York’s Bravest met for their Fun City Bowl at MCU Park in Coney Island, with the proceeds going to help families in both departments.

“I think one of the FDNY guys exchanged words with the NYPD player and then from there, I couldn’t see what was happening, I just saw the crowds come around the player,” Angel Zayas, a freelance photographer, told a local NBC News affiliate. “I heard it happening before I saw it happening.”

FDNY coach Steve Orr said the fight broke out because one of his players was hit out of bounds.

“They hit our quarterback out of bounds, and that’s how things started,” he told the New York Post. “There were a lot of hotheads there.”

Video showed Bronx firefighter Tom Slane, a tight end, being escorted off the field with blood dripping down his face, the Post reported.

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Moments later, a second fight broke out, and players on the sidelines rushed to join in the melee. The fighting eventually subsided, and handshakes and hugs were exchanged between the red and the blue, NBC News reported.

“At the end, they were all talking, it was like water under the bridge,” Mr. Zaya told the station.

The NYPD said in a statement, “Football is a competitive sport, whether it is the NFL Super Bowl or the annual NYPD-FDNY challenge. It is part of the spirit of the sport, but it all ends on the field.”

The game ended with the NYPD winning 29-13, NBC News reported.

NYPD Commissioner William Bratton was also at the game, but left before the fighting broke out, sources told the Post.

It’s not the first time the teams have brawled during a charity game. In 2014, members of the NYPD and FDNY traded blows during a hockey game at Nassau Coliseum. The NYPD won that game 8-5.