CORTLAND, N.Y. -- A backup running back angrily fired the ball at a rookie safety who happens to be the son of the running backs coach, triggering a practice melee Monday that involved about 20 players -- including Tim Tebow -- at the New York Jets' training camp.

It started with rookie safety D'Anton Lynn and running back Joe McKnight, and it quickly escalated into a brawl that caused reporters to scatter and came dangerously close to fans.

Afterward, quarterback Mark Sanchez strongly denounced the behavior.

"There's no excuse for it," said Sanchez, noting that he watched from an "advantageous" position. "There's no throwing the ball at a teammate and there's no shoving a guy out of bounds into the signs. One, it doesn't look good. Two, it sends the wrong message to our team. We want to take care of our guys ... I don't like to see it."

McKnight ran a sweep to the right sideline and received a hard push from Lynn, whose father, Anthony, is McKnight's position coach. McKnight, a few yards out of bounds, fired the ball at Lynn and came toward him, throwing a punch. Cornerbacks Julian Posey and Donnie Fletcher, trailing the play, joined Lynn and went after McKnight and slammed him to the ground.

D'Anton Lynn joked that his father "was probably rooting for Joe."

They fell to the ground about 25 feet from the sideline and within seconds, there was a huge pileup a few feet from the fence that separates fans from the field. To get there, the players trampled advertising placards that lined the periphery of the field.

Tebow was one of the first players on the scene, trying to play the role of peacemaker. An angry Rex Ryan, perhaps concerned that it was so close to the fans, barged into the melee and started pulling away players.