Newsday's Kimberley Martin reported that things got chippy between Nick Mangold and Damon Harrison on the first day of the New York Jets' mandatory minicamp on June 12 in Florham Park, NJ.
Martin tweeted from her official Twitter handle @kmart_li that "Mangold & Damon Harrison were just exchanging pleasantries....in a rather aggressive way #nyj."
When I asked her to clarify if the heated exchange resulted in a brawl or shoving match, she responded "@EricHolden guys in b/t them prevented that."
By all accounts, it appears that the men were ready to escalate the matter into some serious shoving, but the rest of team stepped in to break it up.
After a late-season collapse filled with team chemistry issues and horrendous locker room concerns, some New York Jets fans may take the news of this scuffle as a reminder of all that went wrong down the stretch in 2011.
Team unity is paramount this offseason, as they Jets would love nothing more than to put the "corrupt mindset" of last year's locker room - as backup quarterback Greg McElroy noted - far in the rearview.
In my estimation, this incident was nothing to be concerned about, and not a reflection of any lingering team chemistry issues.
Intrasquad scuffles are fairly common in the NFL, as young players try to prove their toughness and dedication over the offseason by squaring off against the veterans. It is nothing new in the NFL, and has been a part of the game for decades.
The aggressiveness between Mangold and Harrison should just be chalked up to the latter trying to prove that he belongs in the NFL.
Mangold, a four-time Pro-Bowler and grizzled playoff-savvy veteran, is a well-respected member of the squad, having started 94 games since 2006.
Harrison, on the other hand, recently signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent.
He has just a short window to impress the coaching staff and earn the respect of his new teammates, so it makes plenty of sense for him to go after an elite talent like Mangold.
The 23-year-old defensive tackle is relatively unknown among Jets fans, as he played college football at William Penn University and hasn't appeared in any pro games.
Perhaps Mangold was just letting off some steam following his recent painful experience on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," where he volunteered to have a portion of his chest waxed for no apparent reason besides some cheap laughs.
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
