Is Suh Out Of Control?

Ndamukong Suh placed a phone call to commissioner Roger Goodell to apologize for his latest actions, but Goodell didn't think it was enough. Goodell handed a two-game suspension to Suh for stomping on Evan Dietrich-Smith. Many have debated what kind of punishment Suh should have received for his latest unsportsmanlike act. Only in his second season, Suh already finds himself fighting a "dirty" label.

On Thanksgiving Day, on the national stage, Suh committed arguably his dirtiest action when he stomped on Smith in the third quarter in what was a tight game. Following Suh's ejection, the Lions simply weren't the same and Aaron Rodgers took advantage offensively. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported on the FOX NFL Sunday Pregame Show that Suh's Lion teammates ripped him after the game for the act and getting himself tossed from the game.

During Suh's rookie season, during preseason, Suh violently brought down Jake Delhomme after he already got rid of the football, which drew a penalty. That was the start of what would be a brief career start filled with incidents labeled "dirty" by many around the league. This is Suh's first suspension for any of his actions, but as Kordell Stewart said on ESPN's First Take, the league should've sent a message to him long before.

Suh has started the process in filing an appeal, so we'll wait and see how that turns out. His call to Goodell could be in his favor in the appeals process, but that's not a given. If Suh misses the next two games, he'll miss an important road game in the Superdome against the New Orleans Saints, who just rolled the New York Giants. The following week is a home game against the division-worst Minnesota Vikings.

One thing that is glaring in the entire picture is the fact that Suh hasn't apologized to Smith himself. After Stevie Johnson mocked Plaxico Burress on one of his touchdown dances, Johnson thought it over and sent apology messages to Burress. Suh's action was much worse than Johnson's silly actions, yet Suh didn't find the need to get the guy's phone number or find him after the game to apologize.

That is what's wrong with Suh. He is not showing any responsibility for his actions and he isn't showing any genuine remorse. Matt Slauson of the New York Jets was teammates with Suh at Nebraska, and Slauson had some angry comments about Suh in general from their time there. Slauson believes Suh should get medical help because he isn't thinking clearly at all times. That is a possibility, especially since Suh tried to rationalize his actions after the game.

Hopefully this is a lesson for Suh. Many people are saying Suh won't have a long career because of his actions. His "dirty" actions have nothing to do with his potential longevity in the league. If Suh is productive and dominant at times like we know he can be, he'll have a long career. However, if he wants to avoid the fines, suspensions and negative labels, he ought to start correcting himself right now.
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