Aaron Donald will go down as the greatest player in Los Angeles Rams history for his contributions on and off the field.
During his illustrious 10-year career, Donald won numerous accolades though his crowning achievement came in 2021 when he helped the Rams win their first Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
Donald captured the Super Bowl ring that had eluded him in previous years and it cemented his legacy as one of the best players in the NFL. However, he could’ve had another one had the Rams been able to overcome the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
Los Angeles lost to New England 13-3 and Donald admitted that he couldn’t stand Tom Brady afterwards, via The Pivot Podcast:
“That broke my heart, I ain’t gonna lie. Losing that Super Bowl was like, I ain’t gonna lie, I was down for like two months. I hated Tom Brady for like three years after that. I ain’t gonna lie, I was mad.”
Donald also revealed the loss stung even more because of his promise to his daughter:
“I was telling my daughter, ‘We’re going to win this game.’ It was ’18, ’19 year. We were on fire. Can’t nobody stop us. I’m like, ‘We’re going to handle business, we’re going to win this, daddy’s going to bring you on the field, we’re going to play in the confetti. I remember walking off the field seeing my daughter cry, I’m just like, I feel like I let her down. I made her a promise before I even did what I needed to do on the football field, so I was told myself, ‘Once I get back to a Super Bowl, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we win this football game.’ How everything played out was like a storybook ending.”
It was a tough game for Los Angeles as head coach Sean McVay and the offense were outplayed by former New England head coach Bill Belichick’s defense. Donald was neutralized defensively as the Patriots offensive line constantly slid over to him and Brady delivered with clutch throws to both Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski to seal the win.
Although Donald later got his revenge on Brady when he was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’ll likely always feel like he should have another championship.
Les Snead leaving door open for Aaron Donald to return to Rams for playoff run
General manager Les Snead said he’s leaving the door open for Donald in case he wants to return for a playoff run, but doesn’t expect him to do so.
