Among NFL players, there’s no greater sin than to take a cheap shot at another player’s knee. So it’s no surprise that NFL Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is feeling the wrath of his fellow players.
Suh, who was fined $100,000 for a hit to Vikings center John Sullivan’s knee, took heat from Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, who says Suh needs to knock off the cheap shots.
“I hesitate to call a player dirty simply because I don’t know their intent, but I do know what he did was illegal and I do know he has done it multiple times so it comes a time when enough is enough,” Watson told Andrew Siciliano on NFL Network. “We need to get what he is doing rectified and we need to sit down as players and talk to him. We are talking about player safety and obviously this is a play that lies outside of that. As players, we need to hold ourselves accountable.”
Watson also pointed out that even if Suh doesn’t care about the wellbeing of his opponents, he ought to care about his team. And Suh has hurt his team with penalties, especially the shot on Sullivan, which cost the Lions an interception return for a touchdown.
“It is a team game,” Watson said, “and at some point it is going to cost the team a game. So if you care about your team, if you care about the guys you are in the game with, you are going to play within the rules.”
Even if the league office can’t rein Suh in, the Lions need to. No matter how talented Suh is, he’s not worth the trouble if his penalties are costing his team big plays.