Aaron Donald Putting His Helmet Back On Before Starting A Postgame Fight With A Seahawks O-Lineman Was True Veteran Leadership

I know there is nothing in this world that gets Roger Goodell off like giving out fines and suspensions to players. If the suits at NFL HQ for some reason wanted to see Big Roge’s O-face, all they have to do is simply ask him drop a memo on a team that their star player has been fined thousands of dollars or suspended for 4 games and they will be able to see deep into Goodell’s soul.

But I don’t think you can fine Aaron Donald for getting in Justin Britt’s kitchen after the final whistle blew. All we hear about today is how important player safety is to the NFL. You can’t lay out a defenseless receiver or even tackle a quarterback without getting a 15 yard penalty. Well player safety begins with protecting yourself and Donald did exactly that by putting his own helmet on before trying to start a fracas after the game. It’s not like Donald put all his pads back on getting ready for war or that a helmetless Donald isn’t already terrifying. He just wanted to make sure he didn’t split his melon after a big division win. Britt is the one that lit the fuse for this entire situation after hitting Donald out of bounds during the game.

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All Donald wanted to do was finish it while also making sure he didn’t get injured while doing so and potentially missing next week’s likely Monday night game against the Chiefs. All things considered, that game may be the highlight of the entire regular season as well as a preview of the Super Bowl with the added charm of the Boogermobile and 87,000 rabid fans in a Mexican stadium. But if perhaps the best defensive player in the entire NFL missed it due to a concussion received in a postgame brawl with a Seahawks offensive linemen, it would definitely take away some of the luster from the game. So in the end Donald was thinking in the best interests of his safety, his team, and The Shield by putting his helmet on before battering his head into another man’s like a real life ram. There is something to be said for that.