Once you receive the reputation as a dirty player, it’s hard to shake that stigma. Just ask Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh. Suh has been fined $100,000 for his hit on Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan in Sunday’s game.
Suh maintains he wasn’t going for Sullivan’s knees during an interception return by his teammate DeAndre Levy. Suh was penalized on the play, rolling back a touchdown but the Lions still beat the Vikings by 10 points.
Last season the NFL fined Suh $30,000 for kicking Texans QB Matt Schaub in the groin. He was also suspended for two games in 2011 after he stomped on Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Suh has also been fined in previous seasons for roughing up quarterbacks: the Cincinnati Bengals’ Andy Dalton, the Chicago Bears’ Jay Cutler and then-Cleveland Browns QB Jake Delhomme.
Sullivan spoke about the hit on Monday stating that it’s part of the game, Suh was penalized during the game and he had moved on.
“He apologized and said there was no intent to injure. It’s fine,” he said. “I think guys get caught up in the play sometimes. So, sometimes things happen. It’s hard to even remember what you do when you get caught up in the moment. I appreciate the fact that he came up to me and said something, yeah.”
