Ndamukong Suh: Detroit Lions Star on Media Tour to Rehab Image

Last night, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh appeared on ESPN's Face to Face to discuss, among other things, his image as a dirty player and his need for anger management therapy.

Suh's been a busy Lion since the season ended in New Orleans on January 7. He's appeared on numerous talk shows, including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the NFL Today's pregame show.

Many people, including ESPN's Kevin Seifert, interpret Suh's media blitz as simply a public relations move, with the goal being to rehab his "dirty" image. In this article, Seifert makes his opinion clear. Suh's just playing damage control. He may be right; but I say, So what?

In today's sports world, athletes call press conferences to announce the latest team they want to play for (I'm talking to you, Dwight Howard.) They tweet about their displeasure with their team and their teammates (again, right at you, Howard) and they spout out misguided political rhetoric (that one was for Tim Thomas.)

When faced with these annoying developments, I have no problem with someone granting a couple interviews in order to attempt to explain himself and repair his image.

Especially since the NFL and the media played such a role in developing that image. Why shouldn't Suh try to use those outlets to his advantage?

Don't think I'm letting Suh off the hook, though. He's earned much of the negative press. He stomped on Evan Dietrich-Smith's arm and he attempted to cover up his car accident—not the media.

That being said, media outlets fanned the flames of these stories. They played up Suh's dirty image—as did the NFL—and ate up the villain storyline.

To his credit, Suh is dead on when, in the Face to Face interview, he says, "A dirty player, in my estimation, would be somebody that is going out there intentionally trying to hurt somebody." We all know there are players who do that.

Suh is not one of them. Does he play on the edge? Does he have a mean streak? Has he lost his composure and done unsavory things? Yes, yes and yes. But anyone who's watched Suh play the past two years will tell you, he's not trying to hurt people out there.

The part of the interview that is troubling for me, and where I've disagreed with Suh in the past, is when he simply comes off as stubborn and dishonest.

While I will not say that he needs anger management classes, as some pundits suggest, I do think he's let his emotions get the best of him on the field from time to time.

For instance, his reaction to Dietrich-Smith—the stomp—was pure anger and frustration. That's obvious.

Suh refuses to admit it, though. Still.

This is where I agree with Siefert. If Suh really wants to improve his image he should be more honest. Honest with the fans and honest with himself.

Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear an athlete cop to something. Instead of deflecting or spinning things to their advantage? Suh let his emotions get the best of him several times last year. So what? He's an intense hard nosed player and sometimes that happens. Isn't that what fans want to hear?

Isn't that the type of player fans want to cheer for? Ones that are human and make mistakes and are conciliatory. Not spoiled divas that refuse to say what everyone already knows.

Suh has some of that spoiled diva in him. He's not as bad as Howard, or other athletes today, but it rears its ugly head sometimes.

He should just admit his mistakes. Admit he lost his temper. Admit that it hurts his feelings to be labeled a villain. Guess what? People might start to think he's human rather than some football playing automaton.

I think Charles Barkley should be the perfect model for professional athletes. He was not perfect. He partied too much, gambled too much and made plenty of mistakes. But he copped to them all. He was who he was—and people loved him for it.

Remember the original brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills, between Barkley and Bill Laimbeer? Can you imagine if during the post game interview Barkley denied he was even angry at Laimbeer? Not in a million years. Barkley probably opined about how much he hated Laimbeer and wanted to kick his you-know-what.

As Seifert says in his piece for ESPN, "I'll take honesty, whether I agree with it or not, over spin any day."

He took the words right out of my mouth.