Not interested in allowing the spin doctors to operate on his latest self-inflicted wound, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh opted to apply the salve himself.
"I know what I did," Suh said after Thursday's 27-15 loss to the Green Bay Packers, a game he helped decide by committing his latest on-field misdeed, one which resulted in his disqualification from the game.
Suh was flagged for a personal foul and ejected when he pushed the head of Packers centre Evan Dietrich-Smith into the turf multiple times, then stepped on his arm as Dietrich-Smith got up.
Suh insisted he was merely off-balance and lost his footing, and that he was pushing Dietrich-Smith's head into the ground because he was being held. He was adamant he's not that type of player.
"I don't do bad things, and I have no intention to hurt somebody," Suh said.
Isn't it curious how no matter the sport, when someone gets caught bending the rules to the extreme, they're never that kind of guy?
Here's a tip, Ndamukong. The game was on national television. Everyone saw what you did, including Suh's teammates, who didn't sound very impressed by his decision-making.
"He's got to learn to control his temper," said defensive tackle Corey Williams, who plays alongside Suh.
"He's got to be more careful."
The infraction which resulted in Suh's dismissal occurred during Green Bay's first possession of the second half, on a third-down play in which the Lions defence had stopped the Packers. The penalty kept the drive alive, and two plays later, John Kuhn scored on a one-yard run to give Green Bay a 14-0 lead.
"Plays like that in the red zone, they're always going to hurt you," Williams said. "We had them stopped."
An unrepentant Suh continued to plead innocence.
"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 my team first and foremost?"
That's a question best answered by the man in the mirror. "The only person I have to answer to is the man upstairs," Suh said.
You suppose he means NFL commissioner Roger Goodell? Because it's a certainty they'll be having a discussion in the next few days.
Suh also suggested that he would apologize to his teammates and coaches, "for allowing the refs to have the opportunity to take me out of this game."
Odd, isn't it, feeling the need to apologize, yet continuing to insist he did nothing wrong? To be fair, laying the blame for this debacle entirely upon Suh's shoulders would be untrue. Detroit contributed plenty to its demise.
The Lions outgained the Packers 218-86 in the first half, but came out of it down 7-0, thanks in part to eight penalties for 75 yards.
"We were moving the football and that hurt us early on," said Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was picked off three times in the second half.
"We kept shooting ourselves in the foot," Williams said.
At 7-4, the Lions look like playoff contenders on paper, but consider their four losses - to the Packers, Bears, 49ers and Falcons. Four measuring-stick games.
Four games in which they didn't measure up.
With another slated a week Sunday in New Orleans, the solution remains simple.
"We've got to show up and play well," Stafford said.
In reality, perhaps it's time to take a page from Suh's playbook, and admit something about the Lions regarding post-season play.
Maybe they just aren't that kind of team.
