Ndamukong Suh: Detroit Lions Need to Re-Evaluate Immature Face of the Franchise

The Detroit Lions are going to have a lot of soul searching to do when it comes to their star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, especially in light of his recent ejection against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.

The question is simple, but it comes with a ton of implications:

Is this really the guy they want as the face of their franchise?

From a pure football standpoint, there may be none better than Suh at his position.

Whether it's the Defensive Rookie of the Year award last year or the 31 tackles, three sacks, and countless plays that he's impacted this season; there is no doubting Suh's abilities as a football player.

As they say, the proof is in the pudding.

Unfortunately a whole new kind of proof has surfaced on Suh, and despite his best efforts, there is no denying the truth.

Suh is a dirty player and there is no doubting that statement after watching him stomp Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving.

From a football standpoint it was an inexcusable mistake and points to a lack of discipline and maturity that seems to be plaguing the Lions in the past few weeks.

Not only was it an egregious mistake after the whistle, but it was on third down and turned a field goal attempt for Green Bay into a touchdown a few plays later.

Not only that, but it points to a lack of maturity on Suh's part, and that is something that will end up hurting his team.

That play in itself turned the tide of the game, which was still very close at that point—and it may have turned the tide on the Lions' season.

Simply put, the Lions need to determine if they are comfortable trusting Suh moving into the future.

It would be one thing if this was an isolated response, but it is clear that Suh just doesn't get that he cannot do certain things as a high-profile leader of an up-and-coming NFL team.

Look no further than his post-game explanation for proof of the fact that he doesn't get it, courtesy of Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

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"I'm first and foremost only going to apologize to my teammates, my coaches and my true fans for allowing the refs to have an opportunity to take me out of this game," Suh said. "What I did was remove myself from the situation the best way I felt, with me being held down in the situation that I was in.

"My intentions were not to kick anybody as I did not. Removing myself, as you see I'm walking away from the situation, and with that I apologize to my teammates and my fans and my coaches for putting myself in a position to be misinterpreted and taken out of the game."

"I understand, in this world, because of the type of player and type of person I am, all eyes are on me," Suh said. "So why would I do something to jeopardize myself and jeopardize my team first and foremost? So with that, that's why, I don't do bad things and I have no intention to hurt somebody. If I want to hurt him, I'm going to hit his quarterback. As I did throughout that game."

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Apparently Suh doesn't realize that we are currently in the year 2011 and intricate technologies such as video and instant replay have been invented and are used quite often in sports.

Anybody who has a brain and can think logically knows that Suh was blatantly lying in his explanation of the play, and to think differently is just blind loyalty.

The play was immature and the explanation was delusional.

The Lions would be smart to reevaluate Suh as the face of their franchise.

I'm not saying that they need to get rid of him, and I'm not saying that he's not a great player. All I am saying is that he obviously doesn't get what it takes to be a man, let alone a leader.

On a young team that is desperate for identity and respect, that can be extremely dangerous.

For a franchise trying to take the next step into playoff relevancy, Suh may be hurting his team more than he is helping them right now.

One has to wonder how much more a long-suffering fan base would be willing to put up with, especially if his antics come at the cost of losing games.

How much more would it take to turn the resounding Suh chants coming from Ford Field into boos?