BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Fights or scuffles during NFL training camps are widely discouraged and rarely benefit anyone.
Spencer Fano has become an exception.
The ninth overall pick nailed down the Cleveland Browns' starting job at offensive left tackle after holding his own against Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse on the field and in a scuffle on Saturday.
Coach Todd Monken said Monday that Fano would now be lining up exclusively with the first team after splitting time between the first and second teams with Dawand Jones the first two weeks of camp.
“We were already leaning that way, and Saturday solidified it," Monken said.
Verse, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in the Myles Garrett trade, has worked with Fano throughout camp. After practice last Tuesday, Verse was talking with Fano on pass rush moves and where the rookie could redirect and use his hands.
Fano has proven to be a quick study, which might have added to Verse's frustration during an 11-on-11 drill.
Fano was playing well when lined up against Verse, but after one play, things boiled over when they scuffled after the whistle. Verse ended up ripping off Fano's helmet and threw it to the side before both started wrestling on the ground before coaches and players broke it up.
“Don’t you want to see a player, especially on the O-line, not back down? As your starting left tackle, all your hopes and dreams. The ability to move the football and protect, your left tackle to not back down against a Pro Bowler,” Monken said. "You want to see the competition part; you want to see a guy not back down. If they don’t stand up for themselves, then you’re really concerned.”
Whatever bad blood there was between the two was quickly rectified as they lined up against each other on the next snap.
“If it’s all one-sided, that’s a bad deal one way or the other. You don’t want your left tackle dominating every edge rusher, and you sure as hell don’t want him to be a leaky faucet, because it’s a convoy to the quarterback," Monken said.
Fano wasn't the only rookie who got bumped up to the first team. Second-round pick Denzel Boston lined up with the first team at the X receiver spot on Monday.
The X receiver usually is considered the team's most talented receiver because he can run more routes on the outside and boundaries, which Boston has displayed throughout camp.
“He’s made a bunch of plays. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. I think Denzel has shown that when he’s in the boundary, and you contested catches, a lot of our three-by-one stuff may go to there," Monken said.
Jerry Jeudy, the Browns' top receiver the past two years, will be moved around in different spots while first-round pick KC Concepcion could also line up outside or in the slot with his ability to generate yards after the catch.
Monken still has not determined if Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders will start Saturday's first preseason game at Chicago, but did say that he expects the starters on offense and defense to play at least one series.
Watson and Sanders will get at least one start apiece in the preseason.
“If we’re going to evaluate the quarterbacks, we’ve got to make sure we can protect them, we’ve got to play the guys up front,” Monken said. "We want to evaluate the quarterbacks as best as we can, irrespective of who else is in the game. We’ve got to evaluate the quarterbacks on how they’re able to function and score points.”
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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) carries as cornerback Tre Avery (11) defends during the team's NFL football training camp, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Spencer Fano (55) and defensive end Jared Verse (8) participate during the team's NFL football training camp, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns' Spencer Fano shouts during an NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A yacht owned by Mark Zuckerberg didn't respond immediately to a call for help from a skiff that ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska, but a maritime law expert said Monday the crew may not have been obligated to after the Coast Guard determined the boat wasn't in distress.
A spokesperson for the Meta CEO also said the crew didn't immediately hear the radio call for help and by the time it did, another nearby ship had already rendered assistance.
The Aug. 3 incident gained attention in recent days after a passenger on the cruise ship posted on social media that the captain had said Zuckerberg’s yacht “refused” to respond.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the 21-foot Hewescraft vessel first hailed it for assistance at approximately 9:32 p.m., using a radio frequency all boats are expected to monitor. About 25 minutes later, the Coast Guard determined the vessel was not in distress and issued an assistance request. The skiff was able to make it safely to Farragut Bay after the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship towed it there, and helped it refuel.
When another ship is in distress, everyone in the area is obligated to respond as long as doing so doesn't put their own ship at risk. But maritime law expert Ian Ralby said this situation appears different, and the crew of Zuckerberg's yacht wouldn't face that legal obligation.
“It’s the difference between calling AAA and 911. You need an ambulance on site, that’s a distress call. You need somebody to give you a jump or to tow your car, you call AAA,” said Ralby, who is president of the nonprofit Auxilium Worldwide that focuses on promoting sustainable development and ocean governance, among other goals. It is a big difference in terms of the emergency type, he said. "Both concerning, both needing assistance, but the legal obligations to respond are very different.”
Zuckerberg and his family were not on the 387-foot Launchpad yacht when this happened, according to his spokesperson, who didn't specify what the yacht was doing at the time.
“As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe," Zuckerberg's spokesman Brian Baker said.
Retired Coast Guard Captain Aaron C. Davenport, who spent three decades with the branch of the military responsible for rescues on the water, said running out of gas simply isn't considered an emergency, and the Launchpad wasn't obligated to help.
“If Zuckerberg’s ship is there and this vessel just ran out of fuel, they’re under no obligation whatsoever to assist them. Zero,” said Davenport, who led rescues in the Bering Sea during his career. “Is it that common courtesy to help other mariners out? Yes, because someday you’re going to need assistance.”
The Coast Guard also isn't going to automatically deploy ships when a ship runs out of gas, but Davenport said that in the harsh environment of Alaska a ship that ran out of gas could become an emergency if it drifts into some rocks or a storm is brewing. The fact that this cruise ship responded saved the Coast Guard a trip.
“Alaska is a remote place so it could easily go from non-emergency to emergency and very quickly,” said Davenport, who worked as a consultant on security and maritime issues for several years before retiring.
The Alaska Beacon first reported on what happened after Michael Love, who said he was a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship, posted on Bluesky on Aug. 5.
“Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht — which was closer — and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this),” he said.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that they determined within half an hour of when the skiff radioed in that the small ship wasn't in distress. A marine assistance request was broadcast on their behalf, and the Wilderness Legacy responded, reaching the 21-foot vessel about an hour later.
Ralby said it's a little unusual that the Launchpad crew missed the call for help because it is common practice for ships to always be monitoring channel 16 on their radios and keep it as the default frequency to hear any distress calls or emergency notices. But typically the Coast Guard tries to keep channel 16 as free as possible so they might announce an emergency on that channel and ask anyone who can help to switch to a different channel to hear the details.
“The situation was resolved without any harm to life," said Ralby, who is a maritime lawyer with experience in more than 100 countries. "It does not seem that there was any immediate issue in terms of threat to life of mariners or concerns for the marine environment, which are the two main things that lead to that urgent distress call where all mariners no matter who they are legally obligated to try and respond.”
FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez, File)
