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One thing you can count on with the Detroit Lions is that they are never, ever boring. Follow the latest news including injuries, roster moves and more here daily from Oakland Press beat writer Paula Pasche. Plus you'll find regular commentary about the team.

11/26/2011

After further reflection, Suh admits he made a mistake

Apparently Ndamukong Suh has seen the light, thanks to the Lions coaches and staff.

Following Thursday’s incident of grinding and stomping on Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith, the Lions defensive tackle was adamant that he was just trying to get out of a “situation.”

Actually he was digging himself deeper into another situation. General consensus in the media room after he made his post-game statement was that it just wasn’t believable. We’d seen the replay. Give us some credit.

Suh seems to be catching up with reality, at least if the following statement is sincere. He issued it on Facebook on Friday night.

“In the past few hours, I have had time to reflect on yesterday’s game and I want to sincerely apologize for letting my teammates down, the organization, and especially to my fans who look to me for positive inspiration.

“Playing professional sports is not a game. It is a profession with great responsibility, and where performance on and off the field should never be compromised. It requires a calm and determined demeanor, which cannot be derailed by the game, referee calls, fans or other players.

“I want to reiterate my commitment to working to become a better player, and professional — on and off the field. My reaction on Thursday was unacceptable. I made a mistake, and have learned from it. I hope to direct the focus back to the task at hand — by winning.’’

It’s expected that Suh won’t hear from the NFL whether he’s fined, suspended or both until Tuesday. He’s a repeat offender so he could be hit hard. It didn’t help that he showed no contrition initially.

While the league will have its say that doesn’t mean the Lions will just sit by and do nothing. If Suh isn’t suspended he could be benched. Or he could be benched when he returns from suspension. It would send a statement loud and clear.

Here’s the team statement:

“The on-field conduct exhibited by Ndamukong Suh that led to his ejection from yesterday’s game was unacceptable and failed to meet the high level of sportsmanship we expect from our players.

“Ndamukong has made many positive contributions to the Lions on and off the field. We expect his behavior going forward to consistently reflect that high standard of professionalism.

“We have been in contact with Commissioner Goodell’s office and were advised that, like any on-field matter, Thursday’s incident is subject to review by the League office and that any subsequent discipline would be determined by the League office.”

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