The practice-ending fight between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams on Thursday featured some interesting video footage.
Some of that video footage featured Rams star Aaron Donald getting thrown to the ground.
But before that eyebrow-raising event, an even more concerning one happened — Donald was swinging helmets at Bengals players.
That stunning development in the skirmish made many onlookers think of that infamous Myles Garrett moment when the Browns star did the same thing, prompting a major suspension.
Early musings suggest that practice punishments are handled by teams and not the league, so Donald will be safe. But that doesn’t mean the NFL world didn’t erupt with interesting conversations and reactions.
Myles Garrett-esque, but does Aaron Donald escape punishment because it’s a joint practice? pic.twitter.com/PxhbrUZSFs
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) August 25, 2022
Keep the same energy yall had for Myles. https://t.co/AQXudRZo6f
— Emmett Golden (@egoldie80) August 25, 2022
Uhm, is this suspension worthy for Aaron Donald?! Damn. https://t.co/7XHz00w6z0
— Austin Elmore (@autyelmore) August 25, 2022
Aaron Donald swinging a helmet should be grounds for a suspension right? https://t.co/NHLvahmFXL
— Steph Sanchez (@stragosaurus) August 25, 2022
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.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) August 25, 2022
"Let's just move on and not point fingers at my star player doing the exact same thing that got another team's star player suspended for six games." https://t.co/m4Rf0cZ9Qc
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) August 25, 2022
I'm not one to complain or compare but I see a lot of different energy for Aaron Donald compared to what I remember seeing for Myles 🤷♂️
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) August 25, 2022
Not good. Aaron Donald messed up big time here. https://t.co/rLv1UbuJxm
— The GOAT House (@GoatHouseNFL) August 25, 2022
I love Aaron Donald and I hate the Bungles but man, you can’t swing a helmet at other people like that. Gotta be smarter than that. You could freaking kill someone if you hit them just right. https://t.co/BhSbo7uJFj
— Aaron Smith (@Aaron_Smith_26) August 25, 2022
Aaron Donald uses an opponent’s helmet as a weapon and you can actually hear him hit another player. This is out of control. https://t.co/bNL1CKEn11
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 25, 2022
A reminder: Myles Garrett was indefinitely suspended by the NFL following his helmet-swinging incident. Garrett missed the final six games of the 2019 season before the NFL reinstated him in February 2020.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) August 25, 2022
You should be able to schedule a joint practice – even with a team you just played against in a tightly contested Super Bowl – and build in some inevitable pushing and shoving and maybe more, and still expect there to not be a dude trying to injure others by swinging a helmet.
— Mo Egger (@MoEgger) August 25, 2022
Clubs — not the NFL — are responsible for overseeing conduct of players at practice, including joint practices. So fair to say league discipline for Aaron Donald (or anyone else) in today's brouhaha is unlikely. https://t.co/VfmDycxBKh
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 25, 2022
He be getting mad when he get blocked 😂😂 https://t.co/i8hKFT1I6m
— Jonathan Feliciano (@MongoFeliciano) August 25, 2022
Who could have predicted a superbowl rematch “joint” practice would be emotional and lead to chaos? Everyone. https://t.co/SWdnYbIG1j
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) August 25, 2022
He did it!pic.twitter.com/Kcr1SJrwPj
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 25, 2022
Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett pic.twitter.com/OeaLf4lhcT
— Big 4horry (@B4horry) August 25, 2022
Myles Garrett got 6 games for ripping a helmet off and swinging 1 time and hitting a player without a helmet on. I see 3 swings here by Aaron Donald where one ABSOLUTLEY connected. (You can hear the helmet crack on another) 6-8 game suspension incoming? https://t.co/1Z0sFiyYON
— Steven Albritton (@StevenAlbritton) August 25, 2022
Myles Garrett-esque, but does Aaron Donald escape punishment because it’s a joint practice? pic.twitter.com/PxhbrUZSFs
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) August 25, 2022
Can’t wait to see how the league handles this Aaron Donald situation. The Myles Garrett situation was similar, just didn’t happen in a preseason practice. Egregious on both counts. https://t.co/ZhGSfRthLA
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) August 25, 2022
