LOS ANGELES — In his first interview since saying his retirement from the NFL, former Los Angeles Rams defensive sort out Aaron Donald stated Friday he’s “leaving at peace” and on his personal phrases.
“I am full,” Donald stated in an interview together with his spouse, Erica. “I am full. I feel the fervour to play the sport is now not there for me. I’ll all the time love soccer, however to consider going by one other camp and one other 17-[game] season, I simply do not obtained the urge to need to push myself to try this no extra.
“I am burnt out. One of the simplest ways to say it’s I am full, I am full. I am happy with what I used to be capable of do in 10 years.”
Donald introduced his retirement on March 15 after 10 seasons. In these 10 seasons, Donald was a three-time Defensive Participant of the Yr, an eight-time first-team All-Professional, a 10-time Professional Bowl choice and the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Yr.
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Donald completed his profession with 111 sacks, second most amongst main defensive tackles in a profession (behind John Randle’s 137.5) since particular person sacks turned an official statistic in 1982. He holds the Rams’ franchise file for profession sacks.
Final season, Donald had 8 sacks and 53 complete tackles in 16 video games and was named first-team All-Professional.
“I achieved all the things and greater than I even thought was potential,” Donald stated. “Coming to the NFL, I simply needed to get there and be the very best defensive sort out. However to be thought of the very best participant within the Nationwide Soccer League, to be thought of the very best defensive participant within the Nationwide Soccer League, to win as many particular person accolades I did and win … I simply really feel prefer it’s nothing I did not get to really feel as a person success to crew success.”
Donald is one in all three gamers to win the Defensive Participant of the Yr award thrice, together with Corridor of Famer Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt. The award was first given out in 1971.
Donald stated this was not the primary time he thought of retirement. He wrote a retirement letter after profitable Tremendous Bowl LVI with the Rams that might have been efficient Might 9, 2022. Finally, Donald stated, after speaking to move coach Sean McVay, he realized he wasn’t able to retire.
“It is onerous to stroll away after profitable a Tremendous Bowl,” Donald stated. “You need to expertise that once more as a result of that is the last word excessive.”
Though he’s retiring, Donald stated he is leaving “an ideal younger crew that is going to have lots of success.”
“To go away the crew how I am leaving the crew, in good palms with nice younger guys that is going to do some nice issues for the group, make it even that a lot better for me to know I ain’t leaving it in a nasty situation,” Donald stated. “It is in good phrases, they usually have an excellent crew, and I really feel like they’ll have lots of success.
“And I am simply going to be, this time simply watching from the sidelines, simply being a fan now.”