Ndamukong Suh Should Be Suspended for Season

Detroit Lions star defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is facing suspension for his Thanksgiving Day attempt at stomping on an opposing player after holding him down by pinning his helmet to the ground.

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).

Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh "removing" himself

I don' think the stomp itself was egregious enough to warrant suspension for the remainder of the year, but in light of Suh's prior dirty play issues, and his utter lack of remorse or even recognition of the impropriety of his actions, I think a severe penalty is in order. Suspension for the remainder of the year would not only provide the two-by-four-to-the-forehead lesson that Suh apparently needs, but it would also send a message to NFL teams around the league to take more responsibility for holding their players accountable.

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.