Ndahmukong Suh of the Detroit Lions was just suspended for 2 games due to his actions against a Green Bay player on Thanksgiving. Eveybody's seen the replay countless times, so no need to get into the particulars of what happened.
I don't think it's nearly enough. Remember, in only a year and a half as a pro, Suh's already accumulated quite a "rap sheet" for such behavior. It's not like he's a first time offender, by any means. The word "habitual" comes to mind, and we all know, Lindsay Lohan aside, what usually happens to habitual offenders when it comes sentencing time. They get the hammer, and deservedly so. Besides, LL seems to have issues with substance abuse, while Suh seems to have a problem with attempted maimings. Quite a difference.
At that, one is left to wonder what might have happened. When he picked up a quarterback and threw him head-first to the ground, what if the guy broke his neck and died or was paralzyed? Same thing with twisting off a helmet on another guy. If that helmet had stayed intact, something in the neck had to give. That could have been an instant fatality. Would he have been punished more if either of those guys had suffered catastrophic injury, or even died? On a lesser note -- when he stomped on the Packer's arm, had the guy suffered torn ligaments or tendons, nerve damage, or any other injury that could have ended his season, if not his career -- would Suh have been suspended for more than just 2 games? Nobody knows.
You might say, you're crazy Leach. None of that happened and shoulda, woulda, coulda doesn't count. I would disagree.
If you shoot at somebody, but you miss? That's attempted murder. Attempted kidnapping, but the plot is foiled. Attempted rape, but the woman gets away. Attempted armed robbery, but you don't get any goods. What normally happens in any of those scenarios? The perp gets a lengthy prison term even though, technically, nobody got hurt. If he/she has a prior history of such behavior -- they'll go away for a very long time.
Given Suh's track record, yours truly thinks he should have been put out for the rest of the 2011-2012 season, playoffs or not. In the meantime, he can go back to New York and have another talk with Roger Goodell and/or his representatives in such matters, just to make sure he "gets it". If he came back next year and pulled another goon stunt, put him out for a full calendar year. After that, if he was even stilled wanted, and came back yet again, only to commit another act of thuggery -- then he would have proven himself incorrigible and deserving of a lifetime ban. Bye.
Certainly not in Suh's defense -- but I've never bought into the remorse thing. It never used to be that way. If you do the crime -- you do the time. Remorse is optional. When the time's up, you got out. Period. If it was an accident, you obviously didn't mean for it to happen anyway, so what's the necessity of showing remorse? Sympathy for the victim? Sure, but it was an accident. Why should the defendant have to beg for forgiveness over something they never wanted to happen anyway? It's all about apologizing and begging these days, and who one can get to believe it -- and I'll never buy into that. The powers that be want folks to "man-up" and admit their wrongdoings, but then attempt to break them down into snivelling wimps to get off a little easier -- which, in the the end, only makes it harder, and I find something horribly wrong with that picture.
Of course, in Suh's case, these are no accidents. It's deliberate. To me, whether he shows remorse or not is irrelevant, but it's about time he got introduced to the hammer.
He's appealing the 2 game suspension? On what grounds? He has a history and the tape doesn't lie. Maybe he hopes to get it reduced to one. If I was the guy in charge of deciding this, I'd say, "Upon further review, the call is reversed. The suspension will now be for the duration of the season".
See ya next year, Ndammy. Straighten up.
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