The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals had a peaceful first day of joint practices on Wednesday. Everything went smoothly, and nobody really got into it, except for a minor incident with Aaron Donald and Joe Burrow.
However, Thursday was a much different story. As practice was ending, both teams sparked a fiery brawl that included Donald picking up and swinging a Bengals helmet.
The former Super Bowl teams, #Bengals and #Rams had a joint practice today that ended in a brawl including helmets being thrown … the #NFL will surely be looking into this 🤦♂️
(🎥 @dpainclain)
Donald was seen being thrown to the ground, and a closer look had Donald holding helmets in both hands as things got out of control in Cincinnati. In a wild turn of events, this was a ticking time bomb during practice after a few other more minor altercations took place throughout the day.
It was an ugly joint practice between the two Super Bowl teams, although luckily, nobody got hurt.
Rams HC Sean McVay Speaks on the Wild Practice Brawl
After practice concluded, head coach Sean McVay was asked about the brawl, and his answer was pretty dry (h/t Gary Klein of The Los Angeles Times).
“I don’t know exactly what instigated it. I think in some instances teams defending each other. Fortunately, my understanding is nobody got hurt and we’ll move on from it. Not going to make a bigger deal than what it is. Not going to look at pointing fingers.”
McVay is happy nobody got hurt and insists on not “pointing fingers.” However, this became a hot topic among NFL fans everywhere, especially with Donald throwing some helmets at opposing players.
Before the practices began, McVay and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor both spoke about the importance of not partaking in fights during these practices. Here’s what McVay said (h/t Zach Dimmitt of SI).
“We don’t want any sort of cheap stuff … we have no place for fighting. We can’t afford to miss (these opportunities) for dumb (stuff), and we won’t have it. I don’t expect that. I know Zac and I are very much aligned as well as Cincinnati’s coordinators and our guys.”
Well, that didn’t last long. Former NFL star Richard Sherman pointed out the obvious: Tensions boiling over against the two heavyweights.
Fans Call for Suspension of Aaron Donald After Practice Altercation
In 2019, Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett swung his helmet at a player and was suspended for six games. So, when they saw Donald do this, they expected the same type of punishment for the All-Pro defensive tackle.
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.
seems to happen with him a ton
if Myles Garrett got an indefinite suspension for swinging Rudolph’s helmet (which ultimately became 6 games)…
the NFL should be suspending Aaron Donald for some amount of time IMO because this is absolutely recklesshttps://t.co/fDOc4YEKEE
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 25, 2022
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Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk mentioned that the NFL leaves it up to teams to enforce penalties for altercations during joint practice.
This is not a good look whatsoever for Donald and the Rams, and all signs point to a suspension being handed down in some form. With the season opener against the Buffalo Bills on September 8, losing Donald for that contest would be a significant blow to the defense, especially with Von Miller suiting up for the other team.
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Rams HC Sean McVay Gets Honest On Wild Practice Brawl