Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh got his meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today, and afterward Goodell had nothing but praise for the player who has been decried by some as dirty.
“Ndamukong plays the game with great skill and passion and is a major reason for the Lions’ success this year,” Goodell wrote on Twitter.
The mere fact that Goodell chose to tweet about the meeting is interesting. Goodell isn’t particularly active on Twitter; the only time he tweeted in the entire month of October was when Al Davis died. So Goodell choosing to go on Twitter and address the fans directly about the Suh meeting suggests that Goodell wants to get in front of the story and put forward his praise of Suh, lest he be portrayed as cracking down on one of the NFL’s most dynamic and charismatic young players.
It was Suh who requested the meeting in the first place, saying he wanted to know why he’s been fined multiple times for hits on opposing quarterbacks. Suh wrote on Facebook after the meeting that he was pleased with what he heard from the commissioner.
For his part, Goodell said he thinks Suh has been playing the game the right way.
“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,” Goodell wrote. “We commend Ndamukong’s leadership in taking the initiative to schedule today’s meeting.”
As trips to the principal’s office go, it sounds like Suh’s was a success.