Ndamukong Suh was fined $100,000 by the NFL for his hit on John Sullivan last Sunday. The Detroit Lions defensive tackle will not be suspended for the hit.
Suh was penalized on Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings for hitting Sullivan below the waist after an interception. After the game, Suh said that he didn’t purposefully hit Sullivan in the knees.
The defensive lineman said that he also spoke to Sullivan and that there was no bad blood between them.
Suh said: “I spoke to him, we’re good. So that’s all that matters.”
Sullivan added : “He apologized and said there was no intent to injure. It’s fine… I think guys get caught up in the play sometimes. So, sometimes things happen. It’s hard to even remember what you do when you get caught up in the moment. I appreciate the fact that he came up to me and said something.”
Still, Suh has a history of dirty plays, and the NFL decided to make an example of him for his illegal hit.
The league said in a statement: “Suh was penalized for violating Rule 12, Section 2, Article 5 (a) which prohibits blocks below the waist by players of either team after a change of possession.”
USA Today notes that this is the fifth time that Suh has been fined in the NFL in the last three years. This is the largest fine Suh has received and is among the largest ever handed out by the NFL.
Suh’s most well-known dirty play occurred in 2011 when he stomped on Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith . He was suspended two games after that play. Suh was also fined $30,000 last year after he kicked Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin.