Tempers flared during a joint Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals practice on Thursday, and defensive lineman Aaron Donald even ripped the helmets off two opponents’ heads before using them to land strokes.
• Read also: NFL: A little action for Tom Brady before the season
• Read also: Dak Prescott protector falls in battle
The whole scene was captured by a camera in the distance. In the video, the star Rams player can be seen landing punches with an opponent’s helmet as a scrum formed around him before being knocked to the ground.
“There was a little too much rush, so we preferred to end it at that time, mentioned the head coach of the Bengals Zac Taylor to the site of the NFL, following training. We were in the last period. We had two good days of training.
“Would it have been worth it to make the last games anyway? No. So we ended the training like this.”
The reasons for this fight are still unknown. The Rams and the Bengals know each other quite well, however, as they were the two teams in action at the last Super Bowl, won by the Californian team.
Also, this scene is reminiscent of one involving Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During a season match between the two section rivals, in 2019, the first had torn off the second’s helmet before hitting him on the head with the skull protector. Garrett had inherited an indefinite suspension and ultimately missed six games for his gesture.
In Donald’s case, a suspension doesn’t seem in the cards according to the NFL Network since joint workouts are the responsibility of the teams — not the NFL.