Rams Aaron Donald unlikely to be disciplined by NFL after helmet swinging incident?
On Thursday, a joint practice between Super Bowl LVI foes, the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals ended prematurely after multiple fights erupted.
Several skirmishes ended with Bengals offensive lineman La'el Collins ripping the helmet off Rams defensive lineman Leonard Floyd. Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald responded by slinging several helmets at Bengals players.
After footage of the incident was released, many had opinions about what should happen to Donald. Though, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, there may be no punishment handed down to Donald from the league.
According to Pelissero, the NFL is not responsible for overseeing players' conduct during practices, including joint sessions. That leaves the onus on the Rams to hand down punishment, if any, for their eight-time Pro Bowl lineman.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk confirmed Pelissero's report, adding that it's unlikely the Rams discipline Donald because "excuses are made for stars."
"If it were a lesser player, the Rams likely would do something," Florio wrote. "If it were a player on the roster bubble, he'd likely be cut."
We'll have to wait and see if this incident changes anything regarding the NFL's involvement in joint practices moving forward. But for now, the Rams are on the clock, and a precedent has been set.
In 2019, the NFL suspended Myles Garrett indefinitely for a similar violation involving Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph. Garret missed the remainder of the season before being reinstated during the off-season.
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