Matthew Stafford recounts Aaron Donald’s strenuous Make-A-Wish workout

If you want to work out with All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, be prepared to give it 110%. 

Kyle Frazier, a Los Angeles Rams fan who met Aaron Donald through the Make-A-Wish program, learned that the hard way. In a recent interview on the “New Heights” podcast, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford shared how Frazier, a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor, got more than he bargained for during a workout with the NFL icon.

“[Frazier] came in, and you’re like, ‘This guy’s doing good,'” Stafford told the Kelce brothers. “High school kid. Bigger kid. Loved to play football. So, [Donald] is like, ‘Cool, come workout with me.’ Immediately, I was like, ‘Whoa what’s about to go down?’ I’m over there doing like, bands or something. Thirty minutes in, [Donald] is just ripping curls out. Next thing you know, this kid is puking in the trash can in the hallway.

“I’m like, ‘AD, can you please have a little couth? A little understanding?'” Stafford recalled. “[Donald was like], ‘If you wanna be AD, you’ve got to work like AD!’ I’m like, ‘Can we just relax on the bicep curls for a little bit?’ … It was like, unbelievable. The motor just never stops.”

Nonetheless, it turned out that Frazier, who was declared cancer-free four months after his initial diagnosis in 2019, was a big fan of the workout, telling ESPN that he was “ecstatic” to get to work out with Donald.

“Just to be in the same presence as somebody I look up to was amazing,” Frazier said in 2023. “I was lost for words. 

“The workout caught me off guard. Now he put me through something, but every minute of it, I loved it. I cherished it. I’ll never forget it.”

Unbeknownst to Stafford, Frazier was actually a college student and football player at the time of his workout with Donald. He played at Savannah State for five years, getting diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma during his senior year of high school. After Frazier lost nearly 60 pounds during cancer treatment, Savannah State kept its commitment and rostered him. He initially played on the defensive line before moving over to the offensive line in 2021, starting several games for Savannah State and earning multiple second-team all-conference honors.

Frazier transferred to Georgia Southern for the 2024 season, playing in three games and getting redshirted.

As for Donald, he retired following the 2023 season. While Donald’s no longer on the gridiron or in an NFL weight room, stories of his workouts will seemingly live on forever.

“It was impressive to be around him and watch him work,” Stafford said. “He was crazy in the weight room. The Rock came in and worked out with him one time. He’s a maniac in the weight room.”

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