Rams, Bengals joint practice erupts into massive brawl, Aaron Donald swings helmets

A massive brawl erupted on Thursday afternoon at a joint practice between last year’s Super Bowl teams — the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals — and All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald appeared to be in the middle of it. 

Practice was apparently heated from the start, with a couple of scrums happening that reportedly stemmed from Bengals tackle La’el Collins and Rams defensive end Leonard Floyd. 

The third fight was when all hell broke loose. Donald was seen on video swinging around two Bengals helmets before being shoved out of a pile. 

Tempers usually run high at these joint practices, but coaches don’t want to see players fighting and risking injury.

It was the first time the teams met since the Rams defeated the Bengals for the Vince Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and things clearly erupted. 

Donald, an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, could be facing discipline for his actions based on past discipline for players using helmets during brawls. As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero points out, though, “Clubs — not the NFL — are responsible for overseeing the conduct of players at practice, including joint practices,” meaning discipline would come only from the Rams. 

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a 2019 regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, after he removed quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and hit Rudolph in the head with it. 

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While the latest fight occurred in a training camp practice, the severity of the incident is no less serious.

The Rams defeated the Bengals, 23-20, in Super Bowl LVI. 

Donald collected two sacks on quarterback Joe Burrow in that contest and had the final pressure with 43 seconds remaining to seal the Rams’ victory.