In every sport, accusations crop up from time to time that star athletes get special treatment from the officials. But Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is worried that he’s getting a different kind of special treatment.
Suh said after his meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week that while star quarterbacks get the calls they want, defensive players with notoriety often get too many calls against them.
“You look at Tom Brady,” Suh told the Detroit Free Press. “When he gets hit, you always wonder if there’s going to be a flag. It’s the sort of things that may be called for him that may not be called for other quarterbacks. That’s just because of his stature or how he is in the league. That’s the same thing with defensive players. I think my hits may look a little different because of the type of strength and athleticism I have, compared to some other defensive linemen. It’s just the way the world works.”
Suh said he was happy with his meeting, even if he and Goodell didn’t necessarily see eye to eye as they reviewed some of the plays for which he has drawn flags and fines.
“We looked over them, talked about them,” he said. “We had our opinions about them. Nobody in this world agrees on everything.”
Ultimately, Suh said, NFL fans should expect to see the same player they’ve seen for the last year and a half.
“I’m not going to change the way I play,” Suh said. “I feel that the way I’m playing and the way I have played in the past is continuing to play within the rules.”