Ndamukong Suh blocked Sebastian Janikowski’s 65-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the Lions’ 28-27 win over the Raiders on Sunday, and afterward he talked about the two-game suspension that had kept him away from the team since his infamous Thanksgiving stomp.
“I wanted to address this,” Suh said, via the Detroit Free Press. “It’s something that I’ve dealt with and am trying to move forward with. I have apologized about it, obviously on my Facebook page, but also after the game. I made a mistake. The biggest thing for me is that I’ve dealt with and am moving past it, and happy to be back on the field with my team. The biggest thing for me is just wanting to sincerely move forward from it.”
Suh’s “mistake” was a pretty big one, and his public apologies have been criticized in some quarters for not mentioning the man he stomped on, Green Bay offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. But Suh said the two talked on the phone and “are on very good terms.”
The Lions will need Suh to make more big plays like the win-sealing block of Janikowski’s kick.
“I put my hand up and it hit my thumb and I looked back and saw it twirling and that’s when you see me run off and I take my helmet off,” Suh said. “I’m usually not that excited about things, but it’s what you play the game for.”
Suh ran off the field in celebration after that, a much different departure than the way he was escorted off the field after being ejected in his last game.