A day after Ndamukong Suh was ejected from their annual Thanksgiving game, the Detroit Lions have released a statement condemning Suh for stomping on Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith.
“The on-field conduct exhibited by Ndamukong Suh that led to his ejection from yesterday’s game was unacceptable and failed to meet the level of sportsmanship we expect from our players,” the statement read. “Ndamukong has made many positive contributions to the Lions on and off the field. We expect his behavior going forward to consistently reflect that high standard of professionalism.”
There was no name attached to the statement, which makes it unclear who the statement comes from: Lions owner William Clay Ford? General Manager Martin Mayhew? Coach Jim Schwartz? There’s no word on who wrote the statement, or whose opinion was being expressed.
But someone in the Lions’ front office has been talking to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office, and the Lions know discipline is coming.
“We have been in contact with Commissioner Goodell’s office and were advised that, like any on-field matter, Thursday’s incident is subject to review by the league office and that subsequent discipline would be determined by the league office,” the statement read.
For his part, Suh has changed his tone from defiant to apologetic, writing on Facebook today that he’s sorry for what he did.
“In the past few hours, I have had time to reflect on yesterday’s game and I want to sincerely apologize for letting my teammates down, the organization, and especially to my fans who look to me for positive inspiration,” Suh wrote Friday evening. “My reaction on Thursday was unacceptable. I made a mistake, and have learned from it. I hope to direct the focus back to the task at hand — by winning.”
The NFL is expected to inform Suh of his discipline by Tuesday.