Detroit Lions star says he is not willing to change his playing style.
His name has been linked with more bad headlines than good in the past two season, but Ndamukong Suh says he wants to change that.
The Detroit Lions star says he knows he has a bad reputation in the NFL amongst fans, media and other players.
And while he says he wants to be known for more than his antics which go close to crossing the line, he says he is not willing to give up the aggressive playing style that has been his trademark.
Suh says all of his current problems stem back to the incident where he stomped on Green Bay offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving two years ago.
“It obviously tainted me and given me a bad rep, and well deserved in that instance,” Suh said.
“But I don’t think one moment in somebody’s life is going to define them. I vowed, not only to myself personally but my family and to my teammates and coaches, not to have that happen again and not have situations like that that is going to hurt them or make them feel that they couldn’t be proud of me or want me as a teammate.
“That’s one thing that I just hope and wish people have the opportunity and take the light to be unbiased and really kind of take a look at my track record and not define me by one instance and one mistake in life that I’ve had.”
Suh has been fined three times this season by the NFL for hits on quarterbacks and his throat-slashing gesture against Tampa Bay last month.
Despite all of this, Suh says he feels he is maturing as a player and wants that to be reflected in the opinion of him.
“I think I’ve definitely grown up quite a bit,” Suh said. “Just understanding that if you’re not growing up, you’re just moving backwards, and I’m a person that I always want to grow and learn and not be the smartest person in the room, because when you’re not the smartest person in the room, you’re always learning things.
“I’m a learner. That’s how I got to where I am right now is learning from other players and other people. A great guy who is no longer in the league right now who is retired, Kyle Vanden Bosch, I learned a lot from him and I owe him a lot for my success in the NFL.”
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