After 10 phenomenal NFL seasons, Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald announced his retirement. He is originally from Pittsburgh and played college football at the University of Pittsburgh, and he still would spend time in the city throughout his NFL career. For Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who has been with the team for 17 seasons, he got to see the full career arc of Donald, from his final year of high school through his retirement.
Tomlin was asked about Donald during his Monday morning media availability at the annual NFL owners meetings in Orlando.
“I think my memories about him are probably more personal than impact on the game. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him since he was about 18 years old, and I just have witnessed his relationship that he has had with the game,” Tomlin said in a video of the media session posted on the Steelers’ website.
Donald has always been known to have an incredible work ethic. From Day 1 in the NFL, he was an incredible force on the field and that level of both instant and sustained success is a testament to his commitment to the game.
“I remember when the Rams won the Super Bowl, it was probably less than a week later, I saw him getting outta his car in Pittsburgh, Pa., with his sweats on and his bag going to work,” Tomlin said. “I think that’s just indicative of who he is as a football man and why he’s had the type of career he’s had and impact on the game he’s had.”
Looking at his list of accolades is almost mind boggling. In each of his 10 seasons, he was selected to the Pro Bowl, and he made the first-team All-Pro list in eight of those years. He racked up 543 tackles, 340 solo stops, 176 tackles for loss, 260 QB hits, 111 sacks, and 24 forced fumbles in 154 games played. He is a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. So what is the secret to all of that success? As Tomlin would say, it’s nothing mystical.
“The secret is, there’s no secret,” Tomlin said. “This guy has built that thing brick by brick and I’m just so respectful of what he’s done and how he’s gone about it.”
There were a few points throughout his career where people speculated he could come to Pittsburgh to play for his hometown team. According to Donald himself in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he never wanted to play anywhere but for the Rams. Still, with his connection to the city of Pittsburgh, he very well could still make appearances around the practice facility and the Steelers’ players would be wise to watch the way he works.
