Michael Brockers tells story of AD ripping teammate’s face mask off...

Michael Brockers tells story of Aaron Donald ripping teammate's facemask off

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

Off the field, Aaron Donald is a calm and soft-spoken guy who is as humble as any player you could ever come across. Between the white lines of the field, though, he’s a different animal.

Donald plays with a mean streak and intensity that makes him arguably the best and most dominant player in the NFL. No offensive lineman can block him one-on-one, which is why he’s doubled more than half the time.

If he continues on his current pace, he’ll be a lock for the Hall of Fame in just a few more years, going down as a legendary defensive tackle. Michael Brockers has had a front-row seat for Donald’s rise to stardom, watching him from the time he stepped in as a rookie.

Consequently, Brockers has some great stories about Donald, one of which he told on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast this week.

“Were you there when he ripped the facemask off that dude?” Brockers asked Long, who wasn’t there but had heard about it.

“We’re in training camp, AD’s hot. I don’t know, he’s mad all the time – on the field. Just always mad. I mean, he’s cool, but he has a switch that gets flipped super easy,” Brockers said. “So I’m guessing the young guy grabbed him or was holding him or something – like pushed him in the back or something. AD reached and grabbed the dude’s facemask and when he pulled back, I was like, ‘Damn, he ripped the dude’s head off.’ And then I realized it’s his facemask. Then he was trying hit the dude with the facemask and the dude looked so stupid. The helmet was still strapped, bro. He looked so stupid.”

That’s some Hulk-type strength, and from that point forward, no one messed with Donald again.

“Everybody got a sample of how much of a beast AD was and nobody messes with him ever since,” Brockers said.

A few players on opposing teams didn’t get the memo, though. That wasn’t the first time Donald lost his temper on a football field. In 2018, he got into it with Seahawks center Justin Britt, who hit Donald late out of bounds after a fumble recovery. Donald chased down Britt on the field after the game ended, grabbed his facemask and it looked like he was on the verge of ripping it off Britt’s helmet.

Last season, Donald got into a scuffle with Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who’s only 209 pounds. Donald lifted him off the ground after Freeman threw a punch, which was a bad idea to begin with.

There are a handful of players in the NFL you’d never want to get into a fight with, and Donald is probably at the top of that list. Freeman, Britt and Donald’s facemask-less teammate all learned that over the last few years.