Rams' Aaron Donald swings helmet at Bengals' players during joint practice fight
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Things got testy during a joint practice Thursday between the Los Angels Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The #Bengals and #Rams are having joint practices and an all-out brawl broke out. Helmets flying around. Aaron Donald going to the ground. Absolute mayhem.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 25, 2022
(🎥 @dpainclain)
pic.twitter.com/7FON0mnu8U
The practice ended early after multiple fights broke out, and at the center of it all was Aaron Donald. The Rams' All-Pro defensive lineman grabbed a Bengals player's helmet during a brawl and swung it around before being tossed to the ground, according to video from the scene.
Before the practice-ending fight, the Bengals' La'el Collins ripped off Leonard Floyd's helmet and threw it at him, according to reports from the scene. It was the second scuffle Collins was involved in on the day.
A great look at things. La’el took Floyd’s helmet and threw it at him😬 https://t.co/67e3zrgoUL
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) August 25, 2022
"I don't know exactly what instigated it," Rams coach Sean McVay said after the practice, according to the Los Angeles Times' Gary Klein. "I think in some instances teams defending each other. Fortunately, my understanding is nobody got hurt and we'll move on from it. Not going to make a bigger deal than what it is. Not going to look at pointing fingers."
McVay: "I don’t know exactly what instigated it. I think in some instances teams defending each other. Fortunately, my understanding is nobody got hurt and we’ll move on from it. Not going to make a bigger deal than what it is. Not going to look at pointing fingers."
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 25, 2022
Klein tweeted that Donald, a Penn Hills native, was scheduled to speak to the media after Thursday's joint practice, but he was not made available.
Aaron Donald was scheduled to speak with reporters after practice but was not made available. He declined, through a team spokesperson, a request to meet with beat reporters at team hotel. Team deferred comment to McVay's post-practice comments.
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 25, 2022
Loa Angeles and Cincinnati met in Super Bowl LVI last season.