Despite being one of the best defensive tackles to play the game, Ndamukong Suh carries a certain reputation that not many players have. From his time in Detroit to this past season with the Dolphins, many have called the three-time All-Pro a “dirty player.”
It’s a label that’s followed him from team to team, and it should come as no surprise that he was asked about that tag during his introductory press conference with the Rams on Friday. After all, he has racked up fines and a suspension for everything from stomping on an opponent to a throat-slash gesture.
Most of his controversial incidents came while he was with the Lions as he’s worked to better his reputation, believing that he isn’t a dirty player. He says his reputation, like everyone else’s, is skewed, asking fans and those in Los Angeles to get to know him as a person.
“I think reputation is something that you create on your own, but also gets skewed in a lot of different ways for other people’s opinions,” Suh said Friday. “I would say to anybody and all the fans, just come up to me as a normal human being and ask me who I am and get to know and have a conversation with me and I believe it’s that simple.”
Suh’s latest incident came in 2017 when he choked Ryan Mallett during a Dolphins-Ravens game. He wasn’t fined or suspended for his actions, which some were surprised by. Aside from that instance, Suh has done a great job cleaning up his act on the field, shedding the label of being a dirty player.
In Los Angeles, he wants fans to get to know him as a person rather than assuming he’s constantly toeing the line of controversy.
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“Everybody’s reputation is skewed,” Suh added. “I don’t think you can know any particular person unless you’ve been in their shoes and been around them 24/7, 365 to know exactly who that person is.”
Not many people can fit into Suh’s shoes, and walking in those of an NFL player is impossible for fans, so he’ll have to prove his doubters wrong with his actions on and off the field. If he can go all season without causing controversy with his play after the whistle, fans will continue to welcome him.
Regardless, he’s out to prove himself to the fans that he’s not only a dominant player, but also a good person.
