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Los Angeles Rams fans know by now that Aaron Donald comes equipped with freakish strength. He’s been lifting weights since being introduced to iron at age 12.
But, three past Rams teammates Donald will soon reunite with on Sunday, October 16 when the Carolina Panthers come to visit shared just how freakishly strong “A.D” really is — detailing the “craziest thing” Donald accomplished with his hands.
Donald Ripped a Piece of Equipment During a Practice Fight
Speaking with Panthers.com reporter Darin Gantt on Thursday, October 13 just three days before the Panthers at Rams tilt, a pair of Ex-Rams on the Panthers recalled one heated moment involving Donald…and how Donald gained the upper hand (literally).
“The guy is freakishly strong,” former Rams linebacker Cory Littleton said. “He likes to work out, and he’s shown his strength multiple times in games where he gets blocked by three people and still gets a sack. But the craziest thing I’ve seen, in training camp, he gets into a fight with someone.”
Then came this next detail from Littleton — adding further proof of Donald’s uncanny strength.
“He rips the facemask off of their helmet while they’re still wearing the helmet,” Littleton explained.
Gantt wrote how Littleton wasn’t joking when illustrating that moment he witnessed during a time the 28-year-old was inside the “Rams House.”
“The look on Littleton’s face when he tells this story makes it clear it’s not an urban legend, that it’s just one of the things Donald does,” Gantt wrote. “He remembers thinking: ‘He ’bout to hurt somebody. Somebody better come protect him. This man’s angry right now.'”
Littleton, who spent 2016 to 2019 alongside Donald with the Rams including during their NFC title run of the 2018 season, got a backer regarding that facemask rip.
“Yeah, he ripped a dude’s facemask off his helmet,” former Rams punter and captain Johnny Hekker confirmed. “The helmet was still on; the facemask was in Aaron Donald’s hands by the end of the scrum.”
Hekker, who spent his entire career as a Ram from 2012 to 2021 even before he teamed with Donald, was another impressed by that rare muscle move by Donald.
“Just something physically impossible. I’ve never seen it before,” Hekker said. “He’s got strong hands. Strong hands and a mean streak.”
Ex-Teammates Praise Donald
Though they’ll be on opposite sides on Sunday in Inglewood, Hekker and Littleton still think highly of their former teammate in the trenches.
Said Hekker: “When you watch him, your jaw hits the floor at least once a game with a play he makes or a decision he makes and how he gets away with the stuff he does. But yeah, he works really hard, too. So he’s getting what he’s putting into the game. He’s the first guy in the weight room, last one out, always getting extra reps, working with young guys, selfless, and gifted as all heck.”
Added Littleton: “You can’t help but feel that presence when you’re out there next to him.”
Turns out, the 6-foot-3, 228-pound Littleton had his last 100-tackle campaign alongside Donald — 134 total tackles in 2019, which was his last season as a Ram.
The good news is, Littleton won’t line up against Donald. However, one more former Ram will get a chance to clash in the trenches with “A.D”: Former Rams guard Austin Corbett.
The Super Bowl 56 winner wasn’t around the Rams’ facility when Donald snatched someone else’s facemask. Though he had a unique response when asked about that story.
“Sometimes physics just kind of leave Earth for a second,” Corbett said with a shrug. “Things happen.”
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