Aaron Donald

It's been a bad year for the concept of joint practices, but on Thursday a scrimmage between the Rams and Bengals took the cake.

Typically an infraction at practice wouldn’t lead to a suspension or penalty, but this is an extreme case of violence during practice — and something that will undoubtably make mainstream news beyond the sports world. Regardless of what kicked it off, Donald went far and beyond an acceptable response when he pulled the helmet off a Bengals player, got his hands on another — and began swinging them at his opponents. It’s yet another case of two teams trying to have joint practices and watching them boil over as players are unable to keep their cool.

The Bengals and Rams engaged in an all-out brawl Thursday afternoon to end their work. A photo posted by Sam Greene, a photojournalist with The ...

[Aaron Donald](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9301/aaron-donald) [holding two Bengals’ helmets](https://twitter.com/SGdoesit/status/1562889858531467265), one in each hand. Based on the NFL’s history of ignoring joint practice fights, Donald presumably faces no discipline for a similar (or worse) transgression. And a video from CincyHub shows Donald [viciously swinging](https://twitter.com/CincyHub/status/1562890002010218501) one helmet before getting knocked to the ground and then being held back. And my biggest concern in just unnecessary injuries for people that we’re counting on.” Not going to look at pointing fingers.” Not going to make a bigger deal than what it is.

The image of Aaron Donald wielding two Cincinnati helmets highlighted a joint-practice brawl between the Rams and the Bengals.

But it’s also unacceptable behavior for a veteran and future Hall of Famer. What happens in practice will always be taken less seriously. Hell, shoving matches happen all the time between teammates in non-joint practices as well.

The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals had a massive fracas during today's joint practice, with Aaron Donald taking center stage.

Garrett was suspended six games for swinging his helmet at Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph during a 2019 regular season game. It is doubtful that Donald will face a similar punishment, and Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith explained why on Twitter. The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals had a massive fracas during today's joint practice, with Aaron Donald taking center stage.

Every time a great football player comes along—and by definition, the truly legendary ones are so unique, so rare that we are unlikely to get more than a few at ...

You did want to say that he had the same week as Aaron Donald, that’s why you said it. Think Petersen needs to check again and see if you are on your own planet or actually on the same planet as AD. [Matt Bowen was quoted as saying](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2620466-explosive-dt-sheldon-rankins-looks-like-next-aaron-donald-at-nfl-combine) what he said he wasn’t saying, saying, “I don’t want to say he had the same week as Aaron Donald, but...” Sorry Matt... Instead, I use you as a comparison and a nod as to why you’re consistently second-team All-Pro instead of first-team All-Pro. You had two sacks and that’s definitely something to be proud of! You had a career-high nine sacks to get there. At 6’7, nobody would confuse you for Donald and though your 291 lbs frame is similarly slim, there’s never been a “he’s the next AD” statement about you. “If you compared Aaron Donald to me, he wouldn’t like it. ... I’m trying to be the best to ever do it.” This is to all the men who are not Aaron Donald. It’s not enough to read a book about Alexander the Great or to watch a movie about Jim Thorpe. What is the joy of watching sports if not the entertainment value of being able to witness greatness in real time?

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was caught on video swinging helmets at Bengals players during a brawl. The Rams and Bengals held a joint.

In the close-up, Donald could be seen swinging the helmet and connecting two times before being pushed and falling backwards. Donald could be seen grabbing two Bengals helmets, and swinging one of them repeatedly at Bengals players. I doubt there will be a punishment for Aaron Donald, but it is on video.”

Before today's joint practice between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, Cincy head coach Zac Taylor, a former Rams assistant coach, ...

Methinks, the folks doling out cash for a preseason contest would prefer to see the starters getting warmed up for the regular season in one of the three preseason games they pay to attend, not via selective clips from joint practices posted on Twitter in the middle of the workday. They’re essentially organized before preseason games as a means of getting the starters involved in high-intensity football against an opposing team. That’s a fraction of the average regular season ticket, which can cost $800 and $400 in the secondary market. Does anybody think he needs the reps in a no-stakes joint practice at the age of 31? From a macro perspective, it’s difficult to tell if joint practices seem more intense because we haven’t seen them take place since 2019 before the COVID pandemic compelled teams to isolate as much as possible or if starters are just more fired up after not getting to hit opposing players in joint practice environments since 2019. In retaliation, Donald ripped the helmet off of the 6-foot-4, 315-pound La’el Collins.

Aaron Donald temporarily lost his mind during a wild, joint-practice brawl with the Bengals on Thursday -- ripping off a Cincinnati player's helmet and then ...

"It just got a little scuffle-y," he said. Twitter Tweet Unavailable Rams and the Bengals.

The case of Myles Garrett's six-game suspension in 2019 was referenced in response to the defensive tackle's action on Thursday.

If there’s a difference in the punishment decision, that could be one reason why Donald could receive a less severe punishment. The columnist noted the “only difference” between Garrett’s situation and Donald’s is that the Rams defensive tackle’s action occurred during the preseason. [NFL Network’s Judy Battista](https://twitter.com/judybattista/status/1562900664119742464?s=20&t=GhlQFUpwSoJiZZAt9GhTzA) referenced the situation involving Browns defensive end Myles Garrett from 2019 in which [he received an indefinite suspension](https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/15/myles-garrett-suspension-helmet-attack-mason-rudolph-browns-steelers) for swinging a helmet during a game.

Some want to see Aaron Donald suspended for swinging helmets at Bengals players -- some don't.

[video footage featured Rams star Aaron Donald getting thrown to the ground](https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/25/bengals-rams-fight-video-aaron-donald-tossed-to-ground/). [practice-ending fight](https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/25/bengals-rams-big-fight-joint-practices/) between the [Cincinnati Bengals](https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/) and Los Angeles Rams on Thursday featured some interesting video footage.

When you hold a joint practice in NFL training camp, you're almost expecting to see fireworks spark between the two teams. After all, you're having players ...

And it led to an ugly brawl with Rams star Aaron Donald right at the center of it all. NFL fans also had thoughts on the brawl and many called for Donald to be suspended. When you hold a joint practice in NFL training camp, you’re almost expecting to see fireworks spark between the two teams.

A wild melee broke out at joint practices between the Bengals and the Rams, with Aaron Donald swinging a helmet.

A joint practice between the Rams and Bengals was cut short when a melee ensued. Rams star Aaron Donald can be seen with a Bengals helmet in his hand.

“He could push through it but it’s kind of just weird to grip the ball,” McVay said. Donald was scheduled to speak with reporters after practice but in the aftermath of the fight was not made available. “It’s hard to argue otherwise but to say it’s impossible, I wouldn’t say that,” McVay said. “I feel like I can make all the throws. “How that affects his game status for Saturday, we’ll just take it a little bit at a time.” ... It was another milestone of sorts for the 14th-year pro who is dealing with Jay Gruden, former Washington coach who made McVay offensive coordinator in 2014, is working as a consultant for the Rams, McVay said. ... God forbid anybody gets hit in the head with a helmet off.” “I feel good,” he said. Rams defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and linebacker Justin Hollins were among players involved in skirmishes earlier in the practice, which was conducted on two fields. He emerged visibly angry, but later downplayed the emotion. A video appears to show Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald with a Bengals helmet in his hand as he fell to the ground.

Aaron Donald could face discipline after swinging two helmets during a brawl between the Rams and Bengals at practice on Thursday.

Regardless, it will be worth watching to see if any bad blood from practice spills over into the game. He fired some big shots with the equipment in hand before several players including a couple of Rams were able to get him to the ground. Garrett was suspended for the rest of the season (six games) by the NFL. "I don’t know what [it] was," McVay explained of the brawl. "It just got a little 'scuffly,'" Taylor said. Collins took exception to how long the Los Angeles player grabbed him from behind and began throwing punches.

Aaron Donald was at the center of a massive brawl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals during Thursday's joint practice, and he seems to have ...

In reality, swinging a helmet at another player is certainly grounds for a suspension. The Rams probably aren’t going to suspend their best player, especially with the Bills on deck in Week 1. You can even hear the helmet connect with another player’s helmet, a scary incident on the practice field.

Who knew the L.A. Rams and Cincinnati Bengals was the NFL's next great budding rivalry?

But the key difference between this situation and the Garrett one is the Garrett one happened on a Thursday night on national television in the peak of the NFL season, whereas this one is an all-out brawl in a joint training camp practice. in reference to the video of Garrett swinging Mason Rudoplh's own helmet at him, which has since become a hilarious running joke on Twitter, naturally. Case in point, this training camp fight from Thursday at a Rams-Bengals joint practice, which, in retrospect, was probably a bad idea.

The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals went to blows during their joint practice session on Thursday. Initially, there was a small dust-up between the ...

Amid the scuffle, Rams All-Pro defensive tackle [Aaron Donald](/nfl/players/1737460/aaron-donald/) was also seen [holding and swinging two Bengals helmets](https://twitter.com/SGdoesit/status/1562889858531467265?s=20&t=9bRV4jGDIJ7UNl1KBAryDg). [Los Angeles Rams](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/LAR/los-angeles-rams/) and [Cincinnati Bengals](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CIN/cincinnati-bengals/) went to blows during their joint practice session on Thursday. Unfortunately for the football-watching world, Sunday's exhibition may be the only time we see these two teams go at it as they're not scheduled to play one another during the regular season. "We've been working together for two days now and that's just some real competitive guys getting into it a little bit. Initially, there was a small dust-up between the Rams first-team defense and the Bengals first-team offense but was broken up pretty quickly, according to [reporters on the scene](https://twitter.com/JourdanRodrigue/status/1562880519385190402?s=20&t=EcjrvnP_PEOdY5z15fiOMw). [Leonard Floyd](/nfl/players/2061110/leonard-floyd/) and [La'el Collins](/nfl/players/1824825/lael-collins/), who [took off Floyd's helmet and threw it at him](https://twitter.com/JamesRapien/status/1562882432843427840?s=20&t=lIqsB8Xc7jAoL5E_-jj4dQ).

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald appeared to swing a Cincinnati Bengals player's helmet during a brawl in a joint practice on Thursday, prompting both ...

Not going to make a bigger deal than what it is. Multiple punches appear to be thrown between both teams during the fight. Not going to look at pointing fingers."

Because the swinging of the helmet happened at a joint practice, the Rams are responsible for any punishment.

However, the difference between Garrett’s and Donald’s situations is the fact that Donald’s action occurred during practice. This means the league will most likely not impose a suspension on Donald based on his actions at the joint practice. There were no further details about what punishment, if any, the defensive star will receive.

Donald is shown swinging the helmet of a Bengals player as a weapon during a practice fight.

Still, this brawl was well beyond what would be considered the norm in a joint practice. Though dustups are common during training camp, and particularly during joint practices, swinging a helmet is taking things a bit far. He has made the All-Pro team for seven years running.

Players who swing helmets should always face significant punishment, regardless of whether the incident results in a serious injury. Otherwise, guys will keep ...

If the Rams won’t do it, the NFL should. And if the Rams still won’t suspend Donald, the NFL should just do it. And if the NFL Players Association tries to turn chicken shit facts into a chicken salad legal loophole, let them. If so, the question becomes proposing enough of a penalty against the team to get the Rams to suspend Donald. That means it’s for the Rams to suspend him, if anyone. The league can punish the Rams for not controlling their guys.

In the aftermath of the practice-ending fight between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, things have now turned to whether Aaron Donald will see ...

But given that we’re in a new era of sensitivity toward player health and safety, the door seems at least a little ajar. Always been that way.'” [Josina Anderson](https://twitter.com/JosinaAnderson/status/1562961032481767424) reported one angle of the situation that suggested the NFL won’t hand down any punishment because it leaves practice situations up to each team: “League source this evening on helmet-throwing scuffle during #Rams #Bengals joint practice: ‘Club handles, so the league does not get involved.

If you hate preseason football, then I have some fantastic news for you today: The final weekend of preseason games is here. And since I love giving out good ...

[Patriots](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/NE/new-england-patriots/)release [Malcolm Butler](/nfl/players/2132696/malcolm-butler/). [Bears](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CHI/chicago-bears/)at [Browns](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CLE/cleveland-browns/)(-5.5), 7 p.m. [Lions](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/DET/detroit-lions/)at [Steelers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/PIT/pittsburgh-steelers/)(-4.5), 4:30 p.m. [Buccaneers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/TB/tampa-bay-buccaneers/)at [Colts](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/IND/indianapolis-colts/)(-3), 7:30 p.m. [Trey Lance](/nfl/players/2969444/trey-lance/)leads the 49ers to zero points. [Denzel Mims](/nfl/players/2253076/denzel-mims/)doesn't want to play for the Jets anymore. With his team facing the Texans, this felt like a game where Lance was going to make 49ers fans forget about [Jimmy Garoppolo](/nfl/players/1760229/jimmy-garoppolo/), but instead, [he did the opposite](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/trey-lance-kyle-shanahan-not-making-too-big-of-a-deal-of-49ers-rough-preseason-loss-to-texans/). [Dameon Pierce](/nfl/players/2964236/dameon-pierce/)might have been the steal of the draft. If [you click here](https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/1562894855512084480), you can see the video of him swinging a Bengals helmet and early in the video, you can clearly see (and hear) him hitting someone over the head. [today's episode on YouTube by clicking here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oveQi5k0mOg). If you have the winning bid, we can literally talk about anything during our conversation, from your favorite [NFL team](/nfl/teams) to your favorite breakfast cereal to your favorite Backstreet Boy. [preseason football](/nfl/schedules), then I have some fantastic news for you today: The final weekend of preseason games is here.