Aaron Donald’s path back to the Rams came with a messy detour off the field.
While he was weighing whether to end his retirement, Donald was in court trying to force his ex, Jaelynn Blakey, to remove her French bulldog from her Los Angeles home. In papers filed in late July, the Rams star said the dog was a threat to their children and asked for sole physical custody of daughter Jaeda, 13, and son Aaron Jr., 10, until it was gone.
Donald’s filing came just days before he confirmed he was coming back at 35. He alleged the dog bit his daughter’s mouth in September 2023, then bit Blakey’s niece later on.
He also said it bit his son in the face in March 2026. Court papers included photos of the alleged injuries.
According to Donald, Blakey had agreed to get rid of the dog after each bite, but the pet eventually returned. His filing said the dog was back in the home between March 20 and June 26, 2026, and that Blakey “did not tell (Donald) the dog had returned to her home.” He also said the children told him she had told them “not to run (their) mouths” by telling him.
Blakey pushed back hard. She denied the dog was dangerous and said the children were not afraid of it.
She also denied telling them to lie. In her response, she said Donald was “taking away the family pet whom lived with us since 10 weeks old.”
Blakey described the dog as her emotional support animal and said the request would be devastating to her youngest daughter, who lived with the pet full time.
By August 3, the issue was resolved. A stipulation filed that day showed Blakey had removed the dog, and the former couple agreed to go back to their previous co-parenting plan.
Donald and Blakey never married and split around his 2016 move to Los Angeles with the Rams. Donald is now married to Erica, and they have two children.
The off-field fight was unfolding at the same time Donald was plotting his return. He ended a two-and-a-half-year retirement and signed a one-year deal to team up with Myles Garrett. Reports put the base value at $20 million, with incentives that could push it higher.
He was already back on the field in a light Rams practice after the announcement, though Sean McVay still wouldn’t commit to him being ready for Week 1 in Melbourne against the 49ers. McVay said the ramp-up has looked good, but the team will keep taking it day by day.
Erica had been teasing the comeback online for weeks. Now the court record and the contract are both in place. Donald got the dog out of the house, and then he went back to work.
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