Since his suspension for kicking Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh took steps to polish up his growing image as a dirty player.
Judging from an interview he gave to Hannah Storm of ESPN, Suh is starting to chafe at constantly hearing about the incident and suggestions that he needs to do more to clean up that image. The Lions website pulled some quotes from the interview, which airs on Tuesday, and Suh took issue with the idea that he needs to take anger management classes before the start of next season.
“It’s funny to me,” Suh said. “Like I said, I don’t have issues. (I’m not) beating up people in bars. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I think people try to make their own opinion and I think it’s a storyline. It’s a great storyline. I understood this year that a lot of people seeing me as a dirty player is a good storyline to have and that’s what it is to me. It’s kind of comical to me to keep saying something and really don’t have any substance behind it.”
Between the suspension and multiple penalties for illegal hits, there does seem to be substance available for those who want to make the argument that Suh’s play crosses the line. While Suh doesn’t get into trouble off the field, his own general manager said this month that he wishes the team had taken more steps to rein in Suh between the lines. That makes it more than just a storyline that people are using to criticize Suh.
Plenty of good work can be undone by one 15-yard penalty, which makes it vital that Suh figure out a way to avoid them in the future. That might not include anger management classes, but it will take an effort on Suh’s behalf.
