Former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald is a beast. He is widely considered one of the best defensive players in NFL history.
You don’t get to that level without some intense training.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford once described Donald as a “maniac” in the weight room in a conversation with Jason and Travis Kelce during their “New Heights” podcast.
Nothing surprising there.
But then Stafford shared an absolutely hilarious story about Donald making a Make-a-Wish child’s dream come true—until it quickly became a nightmare. Or a daymare.
Aaron Donald – Workout Freak
While most Make-a-Wish sessions involve autographed jerseys, a tour of the facilities, and some tickets on the sidelines, Aaron Donald apparently wanted to give a more authentic experience.
“I’ll never forget we had like a Make-A-Wish kid, ‘My dream is to go be with Aaron Donald for a day,’ kinda thing. And thankfully, this kid at that point had beaten the odds and beaten the cancer he had, I believe, and was really on the mend, and it was really cool,” Stafford explained.
At some point, Donald saw the kid was in high school, on the bigger side, and loved to play football, so he said, “Cool, come work out with me.”
Stafford said he walked by at that point and was already worried about what would happen.
“I’m over there doing like banded something, and 30 minutes in, and AD’s just ripping curls out,” he recalled. “Next thing you know, this kid is puking in the trashcan in the hallway. And I’m like, ‘AD! Can you please like have a little couth, a little understanding.’”
Aaron Donald didn’t hold back in the weight room for ANYONE 😂😭😅 pic.twitter.com/zaBUYzO8Px
— New Heights (@newheightshow) March 12, 2025
RELATED: Caitlin Clark Shares Incredible Moment With Make-A-Wish Child Battling Cancer For A Second Time
The Kid Responds
While Aaron Donald was obviously a little overboard with a kid who had just gone through chemotherapy treatments, you have to admire the dedication. Not just his, but the kid’s.
Oh, by the way, that young man was Kyle Frazier. He heard Stafford’s story and responded on social media. And you know what, he might be as big a maniac as Donald.
‘Cause he wanted Stafford to point out that he returned and finished the workout. What an animal!
“Definitely a workout I will never forget, but you forgot the part where I came back and finished,” he wrote.
Definitely a workout I will never forget
— Kyle Frazier (@KyleFrazier44) March 12, 2025
💙, but you forgot the part where I came back and finished❗️🎗️😂 https://t.co/jtP5HLzWTP
Donald was drafted 13th overall by the St. Louis Rams in 2014 and quickly became one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive players.
He earned 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight First-Team All-Pro honors, three Defensive Player of the Year awards (2017, 2018, 2020), and a Super Bowl LVI title with the Los Angeles Rams.
More about:NFL News