There was once a Sports Illustrated image of a shirtless, chiseled Aaron Donald popping champagne with the headline “Aaron Donald is in Football Heaven.”
That was the portrait of a Los Angeles Rams star who finally reached the top of the league — producing the final, pulsating defensive stop to earn his first-ever Super Bowl ring while also bringing the Rams their second Vince Lombardi Trophy. Donald, for the first time in his illustrious career that’s seen three NFL Defensive Player of the Year victories and a sack pileup that’s now two shy of 100, was granted championship euphoria for the first time in his eight seasons.
That photo of Donald could’ve sent off the message that the man who witnessed missed playoffs, a previous Super Bowl loss and playoff heartbreak was finally at peace — and can make the rumored report from NBC Sports’ Rodney Harrison that the 2022 Super Bowl was indeed his last game true.
Donald, however, shared with Heavy in an interview made possible through his partnership with Dr Teal’s, his newest motivation.
Donald Gives Blunt Assessment About his Offseason
Donald just went through his ninth career training camp as a member of the NFL.
A.D. was often seen as the first one out to the Crawford Field practice venue surrounded by Rams banners on the UC Irvine campus, taking in the moment before going through a series of defensive lineman drills and bursting through the offensive line during team sessions.
From there, Donald put on his hard hat and went straight to work — resembling a longtime worker who takes his craft seriously.
Aaron Donald getting that double team work. @RamsNFL @HeavyOnNFL
It’s his first time entering the season as a defending champion. And that includes his college years at the University of Pittsburgh. But for anyone who thinks that a veteran like Donald could endure what’s called by fans and media post-championship syndrome, think again for “A.D.” He told Heavy this telling detail about how he felt his offseason training went.
“I feel like, honestly, and I know this is cliche, but from the way I’ve been working and training throughout the offseason until the camp, this has probably been my best offseason and camp that I’ve had as an NFL football player,” Donald said.
But then he shared why he felt that way.
Inner Spark Comes From February 13, 2022
The now 32-year-old Donald once thought he had hunger inside him every single season. In years past, not winning the big one was often a top motivation inside his frontal lobe.
But now, he revealed what’s driving him inside his head as he and the Rams will soon begin their title defense against the visiting Buffalo Bills on Thursday, September 8 to start off the new season.
“It’s like, I think winning a Super Bowl made me that much more motivated and made me that much more hungry,” Donald said. “I thought that I was hungry at first trying to accomplish that. But when you get to live that out and get to accomplish something like being a world champion, I think that’s the best motivation you can get. To actually live it out and experience that with winning it all, I want to do everything in my power to try and accomplish that again. That’s what’s motivated me and that’s what’s pushing me and that’s what’s got me to think this will be an amazing year.”
Donald has collaborated with Dr. Teals since 2019. He uses the bath Epsom salt to alleviate the soreness and aches from workouts and games, telling Heavy he uses the product “up to 3 to 5 times a week to help my body to recover, get the aches and pains and perform at a high level come game time.”
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Rams’ Aaron Donald Reveals What’s Fueling Him in 2022: Exclusive