Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald grew up in Pittsburgh. He was a Steelers fan. His family was full of Steelers fans. He played college football at Pitt, which shares a stadium and practice facility with the Steelers.
Donald and the Rams host the Steelers for the first time in LA on Sunday. On Thursday, he was asked if he felt any emotions about playing against the Steelers for the third time in his career.
“Not really,” Donald told reporters. “I was just talking to my dad last week about playing the Steelers this week. He asked me, “You get to play hometown, how does that feel?” I thought, “My first year.” [in 2015]“I was thrilled.” Obviously it’s going back to Pittsburgh [in 2019]It was exciting, but now it’s just cool to play against the team I grew up watching and stuff like that, but it’s just another week. [I] I want to find a way to be successful, try to find a way to win this game, but this time there’s no special excitement against the Steelers, just another week.”
There should be a little more tension. Donald has never beaten the Steelers. He played well in both games, getting a sack in each and recording a safety for the Rams in the 2019 game in Pittsburgh.
“We all grew up big Steelers fans,” Donald said of his family. “I obviously still consider myself a Steelers fan until we got to play them. I’m still checking to see if they’re okay. I was still a Steelers fan myself until we got to play against them. So the whole family is still Steelers fans, but now there are more Rams fans, but it’s pretty cool.”
Donald still sees many Steelers players in the offseason while Donald trains at Pitt’s facility. He said he sees Steelers players working out in the offseason.
“I see these guys a lot. [I] Look at Coach Tomlin out there. So yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
And even if he wouldn’t admit it, it adds something special. They play once every four years. This will likely be the last time he plays against them as a member of the Rams.
After Super Bowl LVI, when Donald was considering retirement, there was a belief in league circles that Donald would want to return to the Pittsburgh area at some point in his career. On Thursday he was asked if he could imagine ending his career with the Steelers.
“Not really,” Donald said. “I never thought of it. I never thought about it, but no, no.”
So he never thought about playing in Pittsburgh and regularly practicing near Steelers players during all those offseason months? He never thought about playing for the Steelers when his family is full of Steelers players?
Fine. He never thought about it. Many others have done it. And whether it’s the Steelers or another team closer to Pittsburgh, since Donald got his only Super Bowl ring, there’s a feeling that in time he could be playing much closer to his hometown.
If not in there.