Suh, who has already been fined over $40,000 since last year may face another fine from the Lions of up to $25,000, and the NFL is likely to suspend him for at least two games. With a per game salary in excess of $80,000, the suspension will impact Suh far more than the fine.
The NFL will determine and announce the specific extent of Suh's punishment this week, but I believe he should be suspended for the remainder of the year. Clearly, prior fines (and a one-on-one meeting arranged a month ago between Suh and the commissioner of the NFL) have been inadequate in clarifying the rules of the game to him.
This is more than a misunderstanding - Suh is a dirty player, and based on his post-game remarks Thursday, he really doesn't care. Amazingly, the video of his embarrassingly unapologetic press conference is still posted on the Detroit Lions website. In his comments, Suh apologizes to his "true fans" (whatever that means), and then attempts to explain that he was simply trying to remove himself from the situation (I suppose a sharp kick is necessary to remove yourself from the guy whose head you are mashing into the turf).
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| Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh "removing" himself |
In his downtime for the rest of the season, perhaps someone could walk Ndamukong Suh down the career track of Albert Haynesworth, whose famous headstomp, slovenly work ethic, and apparent honeybun habit have led to him being tossed around the league like an overweight and unwanted rotten potato.
Dirty player or hard nosed football player? Those things are often confused. I am not standing up for the actions of Suh on this particular play; however, we don't know what had been going on for the plays before that. Had the Offensive lineman been doing dirty things unseen by the refs? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar situation happen to me as a Varsity football player. I had a good run and after the whistle the guy who had my leg was trying to twist it. I think he was trying to hurt me, so I stomped his chest to get my leg free. However, the video footage my father shot it looks like I just stomp him for the sake of stomping.
I didn't watch his explanation because despite what may have transpired previously, the stomp was uncalled for. I think a whole season expulsion is to drastic. I think that the rules surrounding Defensive tackles and Quaterbacks are ridiculous. Often times referees are throwing flags unnesscarily. In that vein I feel that Suh (until this play) had been unfarily labeled as a dirty player.
First, thanks for the comment. Second, it's true that we don't know what may have transpired prior to this play, but what the video shows is Suh pushing a guy's head into the ground and then standing up and taking a kick at him. Suh also had three previous "dirty" plays resulting in over $40,000 in fines, and he knew he was on thin ice because he had already met with Roger Goodell to talk about his style of play. Since the season only has 5 games left, I don't think suspending him fo the rest of the year is too harsh.
ReplyDeleteI really expected to hear from more Michigan peeps about Suh. No other opinions?
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