In an interview Wednesday, Los Angeles Rams star defender Aaron Donald downplayed the severity of his actions in a joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals last week. During an altercation between the two teams that resulted in a halt to the practice, Donald was seen swinging a Bengals player’s helmet near other players.
“It was just a practice. It was football,” Donald told the AP Pro Football podcast. “I don’t really wanna go back to nothing negative that happened and talk about something that happened in a practice. My main focus is Buffalo.”
Donald was not the only one implicated, as a number of players on both teams were involved in multiple skirmishes across the field. Photos and video of Donald during the fight gained the most attention, however, as the seven-time All-Pro is a leader on the Rams as well as the league.
Donald said that he had already come to terms with Head Coach Sean McVay and his teammates since the skirmishes.
Because teams, not the league, are typically responsible for player conduct at practice, it is unlikely that Donald or others involved will face disciplinary action for the incident. The two teams played against one another in their final preseason game last weekend without incident.
Following the altercation, McVay did not seem concerned with disciplining his players, but instead expressed concern about self-inflicted setbacks for players.
“You just never know what can occur,” McVay told reporters. “And my biggest concern is just unnecessary injuries for people that we’re counting on.”
Tension between the two teams likely stemmed from their Super Bowl matchup last year, when the Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20. Both teams are widely considered postseason contenders as the regular season approaches, though their paths won’t cross again this season unless both teams make it to the Super Bowl.
Addressing his main focus going into the season, Donald told AP that he was looking to make the most of the time he has left in the league.
“Being an older player, 31 years old, being able to have the work ethic I got, the one thing that I needed to do a lot better is recover and take care of my body,” Donald said. “That’s my main focus. I’ve got the work ethic and now making sure I have the recovery part so I can play at a high level.”
As Donald mentioned, the Rams will take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 on September 8.
