Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

3 players are ejected after a brawl late in the Eagles' game against the Commanders

Sport

3 players are ejected after a brawl late in the Eagles' game against the Commanders
Sport

Sport

3 players are ejected after a brawl late in the Eagles' game against the Commanders

2025-12-21 11:01 Last Updated At:11:10

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The heated rivalry between the Eagles and Commanders boiled over in the fourth quarter Saturday night, when three players were ejected after a fight broke out among several members of both teams in the aftermath of Saquon Barkley's 2-point conversion that increased Philadelphia's lead to 19 points with about 4 1/2 minutes left.

Two players on Washington's defense — lineman Javon Kinlaw and safety Quan Martin — and one Eagles player — offensive lineman Tyler Steen — were disqualified after being flagged for unnecessary roughness during the brawl in the 29-18 victory that allowed Philadelphia to clinch a second NFC East title in a row.

More Images
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn talks to the media during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn talks to the media during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Washington Commanders recover a fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles on the kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The Washington Commanders recover a fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles on the kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, center left, runs for a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, center right, during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, center left, runs for a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, center right, during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

There was some punching, a ton of pushing and shoving, and a lot of jawing, too, as the scrum spread across the grass. Six flags were thrown by officials as the chaos ensued.

“I guess it was a theme. ... The fans were fighting ... and I guess it carried over to the game. It’s chippy out there, and we have a lot of history with this team, especially since I’ve been here,” said Barkley, who gained 132 yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown. “This team don’t like us. It’s just the truth. And we don’t like them, either.”

Commanders coach Dan Quinn didn't directly answer the question when he was asked at his postgame news conference whether it was disrespectful for the Eagles to go for 2 after the late TD in a lopsided game.

But Quinn did issue something that sounded akin to a warning, noting that these NFC East rivals meet on Jan. 4 in Philadelphia to close the season.

“If that’s how they want to get down, all good,” Quinn said. “We’ll play them again in two weeks.”

When Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner was asked a question about respect, too, this is what he had to say: “It is what it is, Bro. I don’t care. Is it disrespectful? Maybe. But we’ve still got to stop them. That’s how I look at it.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he was not running up the score and considered his decision a simple case of numbers, preferring a 19-point lead to an 18-point edge.

“We wanted to make sure we went up that way, just in case. That was what our math told us in that particular case,” Sirianni said. “It’s a division game. It’s always back-and-forth. … That’s the team we played in the NFC championship game last year. I know how badly they wanted to beat us. I know how badly we wanted to beat them. We’ve always got to keep our cool in moments like that. But that’s NFC East football. … They’ve got tough guys. We’ve got tough guys.”

Eventually, when order was restored, and Wagner, Barkley and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke with each other on the field.

Barkley said later Wagner made a point that the Eagles running back understood: “Hopefully you don’t break your hand just to say you’re a tough guy. It’s not really worth it. And you lose a lot of money” because of fines.

“We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be smarter,” Barkley said. “I’ve got to be smarter. I shouldn’t put myself in that situation. It’s really not worth it.”

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin understood why Eagles coach Nick Sirianni decided to go for 2 there. And like his teammate Wagner, McLaurin was not offended.

“Eagles vs. Commanders, man. That’s how it goes. ... There’s a lot of history, obviously. They were beating us. They’re not going to throw in the towel. They’re not going to take it easy on us. They were going for 2 to bury us. As a team, it’s not like you’re going to tell them, ‘Don’t go for 2.’ We have to stop them,” McLaurin said. “I don’t really take any bad blood from what they did, but you don’t want to see the game get out of hand and guys possibly getting hurt. It comes with this rivalry between us and them. I don’t think that will ever change, to be honest.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn talks to the media during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn talks to the media during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Washington Commanders recover a fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles on the kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The Washington Commanders recover a fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles on the kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, center left, runs for a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, center right, during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, center left, runs for a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, center right, during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

NEW YORK (AP) — At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.

The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Justice Department did not say why the files were removed or whether their disappearance was intentional. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

The episode deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department’s much-anticipated document release. The tens of thousands of pages made public offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions.

Some of the most consequential records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department's initial disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.

Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.

The gaps go further.

The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, hardly reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountability

Among the fresh nuggets: insight into the Justice Department’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.

The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.

There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.

Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors' names and other identifying information. The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.

That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress who fought to pass the law forced the department to act. Instead of marking the end of a yearslong battle for transparency, the document release Friday was merely the beginning of an indefinite wait for a complete picture of Epstein’s crimes and the steps taken to investigate them.

“I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us,” said Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York City mansion when she was 14.

Federal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest.

The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages records in the department’s possession. In one example, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many duplicated material already turned over by the FBI.

Many of the records released so far had been made public in court filings, congressional releases or freedom of information requests, though, for the first time, they were all in one place and available for the public to search for free.

Ones that were new were often lacking necessary context or heavily blacked out. A 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY," likely from one of the federal sex trafficking investigations that led to the charges against Epstein in 2019 or Maxwell in 2021, was entirely blacked out.

Trump’s Republican allies seized on the Clinton images, including photos of the Democrat with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. There were also photos of Epstein with actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, and even Epstein with TV newscaster Walter Cronkite. But none of the photos had captions and was no explanation given for why any of them were together.

The meatiest records released so far showed that federal prosecutors had what appeared to be a strong case against Epstein in 2007 yet never charged him.

Transcripts of grand jury proceedings, released publicly for the first time, included testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest was 14 and in ninth grade.

One had told investigators about being sexually assaulted by Epstein when she initially resisted his advances during a massage.

Another, then 21, testified before the grand jury about how Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and how she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.

“For every girl that I brought to the table he would give me $200,” she said. They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said. “I also told them that if they are under age, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”

The documents also contain a transcript of an interview Justice Department lawyers did more than a decade later with the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case, Alexander Acosta, about his ultimate decision not to bring federal charges.

Acosta, who was labor secretary during Trump’s first term, cited concerns about whether a jury would believe Epstein’s accusers.

He also said the Justice Department might have been more reluctant to make a federal prosecution out of a case that straddled the legal border between sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution, something more commonly handled by state prosecutors.

“I’m not saying it was the right view,” Acosta added. He also said that the public today would likely view the survivors differently.

“There’s been a lot of changes in victim shaming,” Acosta said.

Jennifer Freeman, an attorney representing Epstein accuser Maria Farmer and other survivors, said Saturday that her client feels vindicated after the document release. Farmer sought for years documents backing up her claim that Epstein and Maxwell were in possession of child sexual abuse images.

“It’s a triumph and a tragedy,” she said. “It looks like the government did absolutely nothing. Horrible things have happened and if they investigated in even the smallest way, they could have stopped him.”

Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson, Christopher L. Keller, Kristin M. Hall, Aaron Kessler and Mike Catalini contributed to this report.

EDS NOTE: NUDITY - This photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a collection of art in Jeffrey Epstein's home, July 6, 2019, in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

EDS NOTE: NUDITY - This photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a collection of art in Jeffrey Epstein's home, July 6, 2019, in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

EDS NOTE: NUDITY - This photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a room in Jeffrey Epstein's home, July 6, 2019, in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

EDS NOTE: NUDITY - This photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a room in Jeffrey Epstein's home, July 6, 2019, in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

This photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a hallway during a search of Jeffrey Epstein's home on July 6, 2019, in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

This photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a hallway during a search of Jeffrey Epstein's home on July 6, 2019, in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

Pages that show New York grand jury subpoenas being issued into the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigation, then pages of redactions that follow, in this document released by the U.S. Justice Department, are photographed, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Pages that show New York grand jury subpoenas being issued into the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigation, then pages of redactions that follow, in this document released by the U.S. Justice Department, are photographed, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Pages from a totally redacted New York grand jury file into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, released by the U.S. Justice Department, is photographed Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Pages from a totally redacted New York grand jury file into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, released by the U.S. Justice Department, is photographed Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Recommended Articles