In my opinion, Paula Pasche, the Oakland Press beat writer for the Detroit Lions, does a terrific job of covering them. Paula reported that Suh, after being enormously popular last year, was currently the 4th most disliked athlete in pro sports, according to a recent Forbes survey. So with apologies to Ms. Pasche, I'm going to take her original idea and delve into it a little further.
As she noted, Michael Vick topped the list, followed by Tiger Woods, Plaxico Burress, and then Suh. All of which begs the question -- why these guys?
Certainly they're all black men, but I find it extremely difficult to believe the results of such a poll could possibly be racially motivated. Is there a common thread? Perhaps. Let's examine how each probably attained notoriety.
Michael Vick. That's obvious. Millions of people were outraged, including myself, over the dog-fighting thing. When all was said and done, Vick had to do some "hard time" for that in prison, and justifiably so. Some people bought into Vick eventually showing remorse, and some thought it was all an act. Hard to say what was in the man's heart, but it's likely a fair statement to say many dog-lovers will never forgive him. Yet all that happened "off the field".
Tiger Woods. Since he first burst onto the PGA scene about 15 years ago, I dare say Eldrick has been a polarizing figure. It seemed most golf fans loved him -- but don't kid yourself -- there were many that felt exactly the opposite. Racial? Maybe. Let's get real. A black man dominating a predominantly white man's game is going to have his detractors. Did I agree with it? No. Did I understand it? Yes. Like it or not, that's just the real world. Prejudices have always been there among some, and always will be. It's just the nature of our species. But what ultimately landed Woods as the #2 villain? His infidelity to his wife. Opinions vary as to how many women may have been involved, but it's probably a safe statement to say this wasn't exactly a one-night-stand, with just one woman. Throw in the fact he and his wife had 2 little children and, well, good luck with that when the story comes out. But again, all this happened "off the course".
Plaxico Buress. Why he ranks #3 is a total mystery to me. Near as I can tell, he got in trouble with the court of public opinion for accidentally shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub. Stupid? Definitely. He had to go to prison as well, though to this day I don't quite understand that. It's not like he was there to do bodily harm to someone else. Did he ruffle feathers amongst fans with some of his on-field antics during NFL games? Sure. But there's lots of guys that do, or have done that. Thing is, he eventually owned it, and whether you believed his "remorse" or not, which seems to be mandatory these days for another reason I don't understand (if you do the crime and do the time, then it should be over, no begging necessary), it didn't happen on the gridiron.
That's where Suh is different. People tend to forget his earlier flagrant attempts to cause bodily harm to an opposing player on the field, for apparently no other reason than being a thug. He was fined a few times for those infractions and, luckily, no serious injury, or worse, resulted. What led Suh from favorite son to #4 villain was obviously the Thanksgiving day "stomp".
The difference? I dare say not too many sports fans have seen actual footage of what may have gone on at Michael Vick's dog compounds. It's also highly doubtful that whatever Tiger Woods was doing with other women was ever captured on video, must less uploaded to a web site for those so inclined to peruse at their leisure. Even if it had been on film, what's to see about the Plaxico Burress incident? A guy reaches into his pocket, something goes bang, and then he limps out. Not exactly the stuff of Academy Awards.
But Suh did it on Thanksgiving day in an exclusively televised NFL game, when hundreds of millions of people the world over were watching. Bad, bad, BAD idea. Then he wouldn't own up to it. That added fuel to the fire.
In the end, I agree with Paula. Suh's still young and hopefully has enough time to turn his reputation around.
After all, he's only #4. It could be a lot worse.
Imagine a video showing Suh stomping Vick's dogs when they were down and finally putting them out of their misery with Burress' gun. If digital eyes caught him abusing the "bitches", as some have suggested about Tiger Woods, then Suh would not be merely #4 on the bad guy list.
Oh no. As they say in the sporting world, the man would have reached a whole new level.
Like #1.
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