Rams DT Aaron Donald Not Expecting 'Carryover' From Previous Brawl vs. Bengals

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was at the center of a massive brawl with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, but he doesn't expect that to factor into Monday's game.

The Los Angeles Rams' upcoming Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals is most notable for being a rematch of Super Bowl 56, but the two teams do have a more recent bit of history.

Last preseason, just a few months after the Super Bowl, the Rams and Bengals met for joint practices ahead of their preseason finale. In those joint practices, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald became the center of a massive brawl when he grabbed a Bengals player's helmet and swung it around. Cincinnati won the matchup 16-7, but Donald's role in the fight far overshadowed anything from the game itself.

With the two teams about to meet again, Donald doesn't expect there to be any lasting effects from last year's melee.

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“My main focus is trying to find a way to win a game,” Donald told reporters on Friday. “It isn’t about going out there trying to fight, physically fight, but with my pads we can do some fighting, but I’m just trying to play a game. Not trying to do anything dirty. I’m just here trying to do my job and win a game. That’s it.”

Donald avoided any suspension or fines for his involvement in the fight last year, but if such a situation were to happen in an actual game, then he would likely not get as lucky.

While he's never been suspended, Donald has received multiple disciplinary fines throughout his career. Most recently, the NFL fined him over $10,000 after a 2021 loss to the Green Bay Packers for choking offensive lineman Lucas Patrick. Later that same season, Donald choked Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman D.J. Humphries in a Wild Card Round win, although he avoided another fine.

Donald takes up the attention whenever he's on the field, and for the Rams' sake, hopefully that's only for good reasons on Monday night.