Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is going to appeal the $20,000 fine the NFL slapped him with for the hit he put on Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton last week.
To Suh, it appears to be a no-brainer:
“Am I going to appeal it? Who wouldn’t?” Suh said. “I mean, that’s my motto. Who wouldn’t? If you would, why wouldn’t I?”
This is the third time Suh, the Lions’ top overall pick from the 2010 draft, has been fined in his short career. He was also fined for hitting Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme last season. If the fine stands, Suh will have paid $42,500 in fines in less than two seasons.
Judging by his reaction, this might not be the last time either:
“So I’m not going to stop playing hard. Like I said before, I owe it to my fans, I owe it to my teammates, I owe it to the coaches, and I owe it to the fans, first and foremost. That’s the reason why they watch the game. It’s one of the reasons football is football, ’cause it’s physical contract, aggression that is made exciting.”
Aggression is fine and dandy, but big 15-yard penalties like the ones Suh has been slapped with on the fined plays are defensive killers. I don’t believe he’s trying to rip people’s heads off on purpose, but he has to be more careful once the games start counting for real.