Given that many people already perceive him as a dirty player, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said he didn’t care if more people thought that after last night’s Greco Roman-style hit on Jay Cutler.
Suh called it a “football play,” and said he was checking on Cutler afterward to see if he was OK.
“People are always going to have their opinions,’' Suh said, vua Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune. “It’s not going to hurt my feelings.’'
Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall had his opinion, which stood in contrast to Suh’s self-scouting. And there are now multiple reports that the league won’t fine Suh for the hit.
Cutler, who missed one play while trainers checked him out, downplayed the hit. Between the arm around the neck and the “sweep the leg,” action, it probably looked worse than it actually was
“There were no harsh words between us,’' Suh said. “I wanted to make sure he was good. I’m never a person to injure anybody and take anybody out of the game.
“That’s why I checked on him when he was there on the ground. I asked one of his people if he was OK. He got up, ran by me, hit me in my stomach and told me he was fine. And later on, I checked on him again.”
Suh and Cutler have similar problems of perception. Because of past behavior, people are going to view any future actions through a certain filter, so even hits that are clean are going to be viewed more skeptically than if another player doles out the same shot.