Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech All-American wide receiver Michael Crabtree was involved in a brief scuffle at practice Monday that later continued with a heated verbal argument with sophomore linebacker Bront Bird outside the tunnel leading away from Jones Stadium.
No punches were thrown on the field. Coaches jumped between the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Crabtree and the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Bird before any fisticuffs took place after practice.
"It's always getting heated out on the field, it's competition," Crabtree said. "If we're not doing that, then we aren't doing nothing. If we are competing at the highest level everything is going good."
Tech coach Mike Leach said he wasn't worried about the altercation between the returning Biletnikoff Award winner and his teammate, who is slated to be Tech's starting strong-side linebacker.
"If they get in a fight during a game, I'll have to suspend them," Leach said. "It kind of mixes it up a little. I don't totally mind it, but in a game you need to play disciplined."
Leach also discounted there might be any bad feelings between Crabtree and his teammates because of his notoriety.
"I don't think so," he said. "The frustration might be that he's difficult to stop and is always difficult to stop."
Tim Griffin joined ESPN.com in February 2008. He has covered the Big 12 since its inception, among a variety of beats during a 24-year career at the San Antonio Express-News. Griffin, a Memphis State University graduate, lives in San Antonio with his wife and son.
