Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman was tossed from Sunday's matchup with the Los Angeles Rams after instigating a fight with two-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
Now Donald is responding to the scuffle, which featured a huge height and weight difference between the 5-foot-8, 206-pound Freeman and 6-foot-1, 280-pound defensive end.
Per the Los Angeles Times' Gary Klein on Twitter:
“I’ve seen it everywhere… Just barking back and forth and one thing led to another and then he grabbed my facemask and I’m like, “All right.” I just wanted to get him off my facemask…It’s just football.”
Aaron Donald does not remember specifics of incident but has seen video."I’ve seen it everywhere… Just barking back and forth and one thing led to another and then he grabbed my facemask and I’m like, “All right.” I just wanted to get him off my facemask…It’s just football.”
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) October 21, 2019
The Rams ended up dismantling the Falcons on the road 37-10, with Donald recording two tackles, one fumble recovery, and a sack. Freeman had seven carries for 19 yards prior to his third-quarter ejection after throwing a punch at the intimidating defensive player.
Despite the unnecessary distraction from Freeman, Los Angeles came away with the must-win, propelling the team's record to 4-3 after three consecutive losses, including to NFC West division rival Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. The offense was positively humming, with fourth-year franchise quarterback Jared Goff throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another one.
To their credit, Donald and company looked comfortable stopping Atlanta's potentially high-octane offense. In spite of their one-win record, the Falcons boast an offense featuring former NFL MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, star wideout Julio Jones, and the two-time Pro-Bowl rusher Freeman. Freeman's outburst to the unsuspecting Donald may have boiled up as a reaction to the 60-minute beatdown, resulting in only 10 points for Atlanta's stifled offense.