Ndamukong Suh is no stranger to controversy. He’s viewed by many as one of the dirtiest players in the entire NFL. It appears that Suh has decided to strike again. The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially claiming that he intentionally kicked Ben Roethlisberger in the knee, as reported by CBS Sports .
The alleged incident took place during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins last Sunday. Ndamukong Suh was being blocked by David DeCastro, who was being pushed back towards Ben Roethlisberger. Video footage shows that Suh then raised his leg and his foot connected with Roethlisberger’s right knee.
A formal complaint has been filed with the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers want the league to verify that the kick was intentional. If it is determined that Ndamukong Suh purposely tried to hurt Ben Roethlisberger, then the Steelers want the National Football League to dish out the appropriate punishment on Suh.
The Steelers want Ndamukong Suh punished for kicking Ben Roethlisberger in the knee. https://t.co/26Faa77WEf pic.twitter.com/ovrfzHhjxK
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 20, 2016
Before the NFL comes to their conclusion, the public will already have their verdict in place. Ndamukong Suh has a long history, and many of the incidents are hard to defend because they look so blatant. Many fans and analysts alike are going to assume that Suh was being malicious again.
Interestingly enough, the Miami Dolphins were winning the game in the fourth quarter when the Ndamukong Suh incident took place. It would be a little more understandable if he was on the losing end of a game. In that instance, some can assume that he was frustrated because of the outcome of the game.
Throughout his NFL career, Ndamukong Suh has been fined nine times by the front office. The former Detroit Lions star also has been suspended once. Suh was suspended for stomping on former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. His suspension for stepping on Aaron Rodgers was turned into a fine instead.
Things might have been even worse for Ndamukong Suh if the kick had landed on the left leg instead of the right one. On Monday, Ben Roethlisberger underwent surgery to repair a damaged meniscus. In that scenario, Suh would have taken some blame for the injury.
Since joining the Miami Dolphins as a free agent, Ndamukong Suh has been relatively quiet when it comes to controversial incidents. The latest one is a pretty big once since it involves a very popular player in Ben Roethlisberger, who happens to play for one of the most popular teams in the NFL.
If Ndamukong Suh continues to generate controversy, it will be interesting to see how long the Miami Dolphins put up with his antics. The organization handed the defensive tackle a contract worth approximately $114 million , as reported by ESPN . Suh hasn’t exactly lived up to the expectations.
The Miami Dolphins have already asked Ndamukong Suh to restructure his contract. Considering the amount of money that is being paid out, management might need to do it again to fit everyone underneath the salary cap. The roster still needs more talent to compete with the top teams in the NFL.
When you combine the headache of the salary cap and the headache of controversial incidents, the Miami Dolphins might just choose to cut ties with Ndamukong Suh. Since he can still be disruptive on defense, there’s a good chance that Suh might be able to receive another opportunity in the National Football League.
Considering how talented of a player Ndamukong Suh has, none of these malicious incidents need to take place. When his career in the NFL is over and done with, Suh will forever have all these incidents attached. It will be an asterisk to his career.
[Featured Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]