Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh got his requested face-to-face meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today, and apparently the meeting went well. Goodell took to Twitter after the meeting to complement Suh and report on the meeting.
Goodell said, “We appreciate that @Ndamukong_Suh, Coach Schwartz, and team president Tom Lewand took the time to meet with us today. Ndamukong plays the game with great skill and passion and is a major reason for the Lions’ success this year. We reviewed video showing that he has clearly made the adjustments to play consistently w/in the rules so that he can continue to help the team. We commend Ndamukong’s leadership in taking the initiative to schedule today’s meeting.”
It was a good strategic move by Suh, who has been accused at times this year of being a dirty player. He is certainly one of the most dominant players in the league, and the punishing hits he has delivered has led to fines in the past for hits on quarterbacks Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme.
It’s a fine line that Suh is trying to walk, with his self-professed goal of wanting to not only be respected but feared throughout the league on one side, and his desire to play within the rules and avoid penalties and fines on the other.
Today was a good step by Suh in better defining where that line is, and opening a dialogue with Goodell to try to head off any problems down the road. It’s particularly difficult since Goodell is the judge and jury on administering fines such as those Suh received in the past, but kudos to Suh for being pro-active.
Based on the positive feedback from Goodell, can a healthy chorus of Kumbaya be far away?
