Ndamukong Suh's Lack of Contrition Shows He's a Fake

The stomper made his return Wednesday, once again looking and sounding nothing like his plastic, prepackaged alter ego. Scheduled radio interview? Walked out of that. Reporters asking relevant questions? Dodged 'em. Apology? Ha. 

Yet we see the artificial version everyday, in prime time and soap-opera hours, his face curled up into a smile while shilling you a sandwich on television. "Eat Fresh," Ndamukong Suh implores, as genial and corn-ball as possible in a Subway commercial. Flip the station, there's the D tackle cruising in a Chrysler, Jay-Z beat in the background, humble roots and mom-hugging on display.

That Suh's been force fed to us via 30-second spots during the course of his two-week suspension. That Suh's a version honed by textbook marketing, a version designed to make a young man with an uncommon name playing a relatively anonymous position a likable star. That Suh's been around since the beginning of his NFL career. 

How fake. How off-putting to anyone who nearly spit out their turkey watching him maul and kick a player on Thanksgiving. How eye-rolling to the masses who saw him skirt responsibility afterward, all but mocking our intelligence along the way. For the last two weeks, while he was suspended for his actions and still making news for the wrong reasons, we watched prerecordings of the league's dirtiest player play nice for corporate dollars. 

Now he's back, and he's no better than when he took his issues out on a defenseless Green Bay Packer in front of the nation. Instead of facing the inevitable questions at the Lions' training facility Wednesday, he offered no answers while using his teammates as a deflector shield. 

"The most important thing right now is this football team and not me individually," Suh told CBS Sports and a throng of others. 

An "answer" like this isn't because he's team-first, it's because he's arrogant. And now, teammates will be left handling queries about life in the locker room and sidelines with Suh. That's the way it goes. Media need quotes. If desired subject doesn't provide them, they rephrase and pester somebody else. Journalism 101, been that way forever. 

For two weeks, they were without his services because he's a hothead. So on his first day back, he pawns the media off on them? The media who's only there en such masse because of his actions? And some of us were thinking apology?

Maybe he did, behind closed doors. Maybe he really is all keeping it an internal matter because it's none of our business. But that's flawed logic. Would it be so hard to apologize in private and in public? Even if it's hollow like most public mea culpas, it's a step in the right direction to repair his tattered image. 

Right now it's beyond damaged. It's an Edsel. Subway would be foolish to re-up him. Any national company would be foolish to sign him to anything. You want tough but personable? Hire Patrick Willis. There's plenty of others to pitch the newest $5 Footlong who don't make us think of an on-field mugging. 

Sure, the myopic members of Detroit's fan base will defend him, but they're a minority. They have no national clout, and should really be a tad miffed, too. Instead of discussing about how this team is finally winning after so many years of doldrum toiling, we're talking about this ... again. 

If Suh wants to play and act this way, so be it. Reporters don't lose sleep over athletes' rudeness and Rodger Goodell will have no problem fining and suspending away every penny of his contract. We all make choices in life, and Suh has made the choice to be a malcontent, a choice continually reinforced in his short NFL tenure. 

With actions like this, all the good goes away: Donations to the high school football team in need. Contributions to Nebraska, where he was a solid student and has a degree. All of it gets pushed aside, collects dust. 

It can't go both ways, not now at least. We're a forgive and forget society, especially with our sports figures. He can turn it around, many do. Just play clean and play the PR game. But at this moment, on a day where he said nothing right at all, that's not the case.