Rams: Practice incident involving Aaron Donald, Bengals to be addressed internally

A Los Angeles Rams spokesperson shared a statement with reporters Friday evening about whether defensive tackle Aaron Donald would face discipline for swinging helmets at opposing players during a fight at Thursday's joint practice with the Bengals in Cincinnati.

"The incident will be addressed internally, and any discipline will remain in-house," the statement read.

An NFL.com columnist was among those calling for Donald to be suspended for his actions during the brawl. Donald could be seen swinging Bengals helmets at opposing players as he was pushed to the ground.

ESPN's Booger McFarland was among those insisting via Twitter that such actions are "different obviously in a game … but this is practice, man."

ESPN's Adam Schefter initially called it "assault."

Donald hadn't been expected to play in Saturday's preseason finale between the teams. His actions were compared by many on social media to those of Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett, who was suspended indefinitely and missed six games for removing Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph's helmet and hitting Rudolph in the head with it during a game in Nov. 2019.

Some suggested via Twitter that the only difference between what Garrett did in 2019 and what Donald did Thursday was Donald did it in practice, not a game.

Donald was expected by many to avoid discipline from the NFL because the teams are responsible for oversight of joint practices.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rams: Practice incident with Aaron Donald, Bengals handled internally