Lions' Ndamukong Suh requests meeting with league over rules
DENVER (AP) - Ndamukong Suh will meet with NFL officials during the Lions' bye week to get a better understanding of the rules he's been breaking...
DENVER (AP) — Ndamukong Suh will meet with NFL officials during the Lions’ bye week to get a better understanding of the rules he’s been breaking.
Detroit’s second-year defensive tackle asked Commissioner Roger Goodell for the meeting to talk about all the flags he keeps drawing for roughing up quarterbacks.
“To me it’s just an opportunity to go out there and have good dialogue, see what I can take from that meeting,” Suh said after the Lions’ 45-10 win at Denver on Sunday. “If it’s nothing it’s nothing, if it’s something good, then it’s something good.”
Suh, the second overall draft pick in 2010, is a passionate player but insists he’s not a dirty one. He’s helped lead the Lions’ rebirth after decades of mostly mediocre seasons, and is a big reason for their new reputation as one of the NFL’s more physical defenses.
Asked what the league doesn’t get about him, Suh said, “I have no clue, that’s why we’re having a meeting. I’m not changing my game. My game has gotten me to where I am right now. I’m only planning on building off of things I have accomplished.”
The former Nebraska star will meet Tuesday with those NFL staffers responsible for enforcing the rules. The get-together will include football operations consultant Jeff Fisher, along with Ray Anderson, Merton Hanks and Carl Johnson. Suh can bring along a coach if he wants.
Fox Sports first reported Suh’s interest in meeting with the NFL and the league issued a statement later Sunday confirming the get-together at its New York headquarters.
“It’s disappointing that one came to light,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “I like to keep conversations between myself and players to myself, I like to keep conversations with the league to myself. It’s probably inappropriate for me to talk about that.”
One thing Schwartz didn’t mind talking about was a headline on NFL.com this week previewing the Lions-Broncos game as a Good vs. Evil encounter. The article included a picture of Suh and Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate at all for anyone associated with the game to bill it that way,” Schwartz said. “It was especially disappointing coming from the arm of the NFL, NFL.com. It wasn’t a rallying cry but it’s not appropriate.”
Asked if it’s a case that the good vs. evil hype sells, Schwartz said, “That’s not our objective. Our objective is to try to win games. We’re certainly not trying to market ourselves that way.”
Suh shrugged off the matter — mostly.
“The league did do that for whatever reason. Evil prevails,” he said. “Hopefully we’re going to continue to keep it that way if that’s the way they want to perceive us as. For me personally, it means nothing to me. I’m going to continue to be me, I know who I am, I’m not an evil person. I may not be a good person in some people’s eyes. I’m going to continue to play hard.”
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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed to this report.
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Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
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