During joint practice last Thursday between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, star defensive tackle Aaron Donald made headlines after he swung two helmets at Bengals players after a fight broke out during a scrimmage.
Donald chose to take a helmet in each hand and swing them viciously at Bengals players, where he landed a couple of hits. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was pushed to the ground, and the situation dwindled after that point.
Donald didn’t receive any league or team punishment for his actions, but the altercation made headlines for the next few days. The eight-time Pro Bowler has finally commented on the matter, chalking it up to it being what can occur during a football practice.
“It was just a practice. It was football,” Donald said in a Wednesday interview with the AP Pro Football Podcast, via the Associated Press. “I don’t really wanna go back to nothing negative that happened and talk about something that happened in a practice. My main focus is Buffalo.”
Although emotions can sometimes spark up during practice, especially a joint session with another team, Donald took a step further than that. He swung helmets at other players, which could have caused a significant injury.
It isn’t the first time that Donald chose to let his aggression take the best of him in an on-field moment. He has had a few instances where he was ejected during a 2016 regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers due to a scuffle that resulted in making contact with a referee.
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Ultimately, with the 2022 season about a week away, this situation will get brushed under the rug.