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Six days after an incident that caused Ramez to intervene defensively Aaron Donald In the league talk, Donald did not want to talk about the incident.
He took a media tour on Wednesday to promote a product. It is simple swap. The player is subject to an interview, on the understanding that he will get the opportunity to promote his product.
Usually, there is no effort to reduce the topic of the interview portion of the questions. Sometimes there. Sometimes the interviewer will comply. Sometimes the interviewer politely explains that questions should be asked. Sometimes the interviewer will simply cancel the interview because, frankly, it is inappropriate for an interviewee to attempt to apply restrictions on the topics to be discussed.
Donald’s appearances have included a spot with Zach Gelb of CBS Sports Radio. In a very unusual move, the PR person interrupted the clip after Gelb asked too many questions about a helmet-swing brawl from a joint L.A. exercise with the Bengals.
This is the relevant excerpt.
Gelb: “What happened last week in joint training, because we all saw a video of you swinging your helmets? And people were wondering what’s going on there?”
Donald: “It was just practice. People obviously took out phones and things like that. But I’m not going to sit around and talk about the negative things that happened in a rehearsal. My main focus is Buffalo.”
Gelb: “Was there internal punishment?”
Donald: “We talked. We talked, so . . . .”
Gelb: “Have you been thinking maybe you’ll be stopped or something?”
PR Officer: “Hey Zack, we’ll just focus here because Aaron is here today to talk about him [product we have no compulsion to mention]. So, you have two minutes left, if you want to focus on your last question please.”
Gelb then tried to ask another question about the accident, to his credit. He asked what sparked the quarrel. Donald brilliantly turned it into a move for his product. This was it.
It’s a pity. Donald ultimately faced no real accountability for engaging in inherently dangerous behavior. Inexplicably, the league could not suspend it, and it is expected that the Rams will not. Then, while on a paid media tour that included being able to be interviewed in exchange for being given the opportunity to sell the product, Donald didn’t want to answer simple questions about why he detonated a fuse so violently and shockingly.
The media tour should have been canceled or postponed. He definitely doesn’t need the money. He definitely doesn’t need a headache.
Then again, the guy in the football helmet didn’t slammed against The football helmet he wore last Thursday.
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