Getty Fans are calling for a suspension on Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald.
The Los Angeles Rams made plenty of headlines on a Thursday at the end of August. The two teams engaged in a series of joint practices, with the preseason finale right around the corner against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Day 1 went smooth, and both Sean McVay and Zac Taylor hoped there wouldn’t be any fighting. However, Day 2 was the complete opposite.
First, a few smaller altercations took place. Then, everything boiled over with a massive brawl that proceeded to end practice early.
Aaron Donald was seen holding two helmets and swinging them at Bengals players, and it wasn’t pretty. Coach McVay was relieved that nobody got hurt, although he couldn’t have been happy about the actions of his defensive star.
Fans React to the Wild Brawl and Call for an Aaron Donald Suspension
The video of Donald holding helmets has quickly become a hot topic, and for a good reason. When Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett swung his helmet back in 2019 toward Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, he was hit with an indefinite suspension.
Donald could also see some punishment from the NFL or the Rams after this altercation. Here’s how the fans and analysts reacted to this incident, and everybody issued the same statements after the practice concluded.
Myles Garrett missed the final 6 games of the 2019 season as part of an indefinite suspension for swinging a helmet during a game. The NFL has not been in the business of policing joint practices the way they do games, but that’s the only difference from Aaron Donald today.
The NFL has not policed joint practices in the past (there was an incident with Antonio Brown last season that occurred). Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk reported the same thing, although this could be a different situation altogether.
Even Rams fans weren’t happy with Donald’s antics and called for him to be suspended.
I’m a big Rams fan (and we have two season tix), and have always loved and respected Aaron Donald. But this is inexcusable. What could’ve possibly triggered him like this? He needs major suspension
Donald sure angered many people, and things could get ugly all around if the NFL doesn’t get involved. But, there is one giant loophole that puts even more pressure on the Rams.
Will Donald be Suspended?
It’s a tricky situation for the NFL to be in, but it’s hard to sit back and just let Donald off without at least a one or two-game suspension.
On the other hand, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reiterated the same point as Williams and insisted the league won’t get involved.
That means it is up to the Rams to deal with Donald and enforce a suspension or fine of some sort. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network also said the same thing, so all signs point to the Rams making this decision.
Of course, suspending your star player for the beginning of the season is not what you want to do, especially with the season opener against the Buffalo Bills two weeks away. Yet, there might not be many choices.
So, the Rams have two choices: Suspend their superstar player who flirted with retirement and do the right thing. Or, give him a fine and a warning and get extreme backlash from the league and the fans everywhere.
There is no win-win situation, and the Rams might want to think long and hard before making a decision. Or, who knows, maybe the NFL pulls a power move and decides to jump in and give Aaron Donald a suspension of some sort.