Ndamukong Suh Is No Different Than Albert Haynesworth: Fans, Don't Be Blinded

What Ndamukong Suh did on Thanksgiving Day in front of a national audience is no different than what Albert Haynesworth did just a few years prior.

If you recall, Albert Haynesworth was rightfully vilified for trying to put his right cleat through the face of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode.

On Thursday, Ndamukong Suh was no different. After wrestling Green Bay offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith to the ground, Suh proceeded to jackhammer the guard’s helmet into the field turf not once, twice, nor three times a lady.

Rather, it took four times before Suh recoiled, but not before he got his final Cobra Kai shot in by stomping on Dietrich-Smith's right arm, causing an immediate ejection.

Hell, Lionel Richie's wife thinks Suh went too far and her claim to fame is kicking her husband's ass.

Between shovel-sized scoops of turkey and dressing—chased with glugs of pilsner—I watched the most feared man to don the Honolulu Blue and Silver—since Alex Karras—go from bad ass to jackass in mere seconds, and as I sit here today and my body begins its recovery from the effects L-Tryptophan had taken on my engorged body, I feel duped.

Yes, duped. I feel I’ve been sold a bill of goods in reference to the Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

He’s pushed the envelope of clean play since he played his first preseason game with his takedown of Cleveland Browns signal caller Jake Delhomme.

I lauded his ferocious play in the past because I felt that type of edginess was missing with this team and I implored him to embrace his villainous role for the NFL because the moniker had already been established.

I even commended his summit with Roger Goodell during the bye week as he took defense of his play to the league office. To top it all off, I recognize him weekly as a player I mustn’t identify in my Van Etten V because of his exceptional level of play.

But what he did against the Packers is unjustified and, without hesitation, I can assure you he will be suspended.

Yesterday morning, I would have gladly boasted about the second-year Cornhusker like he was a long-time neighbor; somebody you would take pride in referencing as one of your own, a Detroiter.

You know; the guy in the Chrysler commercials who the hard-working people of Detroit are supposed to identify with as he rolls through the night-cloaked streets of The Motor City wearing his black leather jacket?

The black jacket obviously fits like a glove, not necessarily an Orenthal glove, but a black glove nonetheless.

The players who earn their pay under the watchful eye of the shield seemingly know more than the fans because they recently voted Suh the dirtiest player in the NFL and his old-school Raider reaction further validates the selection.

I half expect Al Davis to fly in from wherever he ended up—somewhere of higher altitude I hope—in his finest ivory-crushed velour jogging suit to ask Martin Mayhew what it will take to pry Suh out of Detroit and bring him to his Crypt in Oakland.

Today, I cannot claim Suh as Detroiter and I assuredly will never pull a penny out of my pocket to place a Suh jersey on my son’s developing frame.

What he perpetrated on Thursday at Ford Field would have put him in the back seat of a Pontiac squad car just hours prior had he been participating in the theoretical “biggest bar night of the year,” yet I’m supposed to turn a blind-eye because it was on a football field?

Better yet, am I supposed to let it slide because he’s a Lion?

Remember the outcry against Haynesworth and his Sopranos-worthy efforts? Thuggery makes for great fictional cinema as The Godfather  I & II are two of the greatest films ever released; but when those actions make the NFL more like WWE, that’s where I draw the line.

Anybody associated with this organization should feel embarrassed by the unprofessionalism displayed by their most marketable player since Barry Sanders. I’m sure “The Bills” (William Clay Ford Senior & Junior) enjoyed their postgame dinner plans as the inevitable discussion of Ndamukong’s outburst arose.

How I'm sure the Fords today yearn for the humility and unassuming nature Barry Sanders presented on the field while still creating memories many of us will never forget.

Although his greatest games were at the Silverdome, you still find countless Sanders jerseys roaming the concession stands and corridors of Ford Field; he was a safer bet for the Detroit Lions organization than pushing all your chips to the center of the table with a royal flush in your hands.

The merchandising cash cow that hawks Omaha Steaks is now no better than an overcooked flank cut.

Perhaps I’m overreacting a touch to what happened Thursday. After all, Kobe Bryant’s jersey now generates more revenue for the NBA than all other sleeveless options (besides LeBron James) and he was less than angelic just a few years ago, right? At least that’s what that new boulder on his wife’s hand tells me.

There should be many fans that look at their No. 90 jerseys much differently today. The bush league retaliation displayed by Ndamukong Suh is a duplicate of the actions shown by Albert Haynesworth and those who are blinded by hometown loyalty should be ashamed.