Aaron Donald Ejected for Making Contact with Official in Week 1 vs. 49ers

The Los Angeles Rams were outplayed by the San Francisco 49ers during a 28-0 loss Monday night, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald was ejected in the fourth quarter.

According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Donald was ejected after he "contacted [the] ref and shoved [49ers wide receiver] Quinton Patton to get two penalties" during a scuffle following a play. Steve Wyche of NFL Network said Donald was ejected because of the contact with the official, and ESPN shared some images from the scene on Twitter:

NFL.com provided the full video.

Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times described the aftermath as a visibly upset Donald continued to show his emotions:

The jawing and shoving between the two teams stemmed from Alec Ogletree's tackle of 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert in the fourth quarter with San Francisco already ahead 21-0. According to Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk, the linebacker "appeared to give Gabbert some extra emphasis on the tackle," and players started exchanging words.

That's when Donald shoved Patton in the face. The receiver's helmet flew off, and Donald was handed a personal foul for that and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for making contact with the official.

Crabtree noted there is a minimum fine of $30,387 for the first time a player makes contact with an official. He also wrote "striking an opponent" comes with a minimum fine of $9,115.

On Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported, citing a source, that Donald is "not expected" to be suspended for the ejection.

Donald was likely frustrated by the Rams' performance. The defense couldn't stop San Francisco running back Carlos Hyde, who tallied 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the offense looked hapless with 10 punts, two interceptions, a turnover on downs and a one-play kneel-down drive at the end of the game in 14 possessions.

Things won't get any easier for Donald and Los Angeles when they host the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener in Week 2. The Seahawks made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and are 1-0 in the early going in 2016, while the Rams haven't made the postseason since the 2004 campaign.