Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan went down on the Ford Field turf on Sunday after suffering what at first looked like a serious leg injury. Ryan turned out to be fine, and he led the Falcons to a victory over the Lions. But some of Ryan’s teammates were furious at the way the Lions reacted to Ryan’s injury.
Specifically, multiple Falcons players said Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was yukking it up while Ryan was lying on the ground, writhing in pain.
“I had respect for Suh before the game,” Falcons center Todd McClure told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But when Matt was on the ground, the things he was saying and the trash he was talking was definitely uncalled for. There are certain things you don’t do. [He said], ‘Get the cart’ and several other things that I can’t repeat.”
Falcons receiver Roddy White said Suh was one of a couple of classless Lions.
“I lost a whole lot of respect for 90 [Suh] today, and also 92 [Cliff Avril], the [bleep] they were doing when Matt got hurt. That was unacceptable,” White said. “Like 92 was kicking [Ryan’s] feet, saying, ‘Get him off the field.’ We don’t do stuff like that. We don’t rally over guys when they get hurt. It was just inappropriate behavior. I mean, ‘Get the cart’? Are you serious? Come on. When you compete, you never want to see a guy get hurt.”
Suh was called for a personal foul for facemasking Ryan during the game, and he easily could have been called for another personal foul for a post-play shove. He’s certainly not doing anything to change the perception that he’s a dirty player.