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I guess I shouldn't be surprised after all the stupid things the NFL has done over the years, but Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been fined again. To be exact, Suh has been fined $31,500 by the NFL for a hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden from last Sunday, according to Mike O'Hara.
Just so we're clear, the NFL fined Suh for this:
I'm assuming the NFL's argument here is that Suh used his helmet as the principal point of contact with Weeden, but that wasn't the case at all. Suh pushed Weeden down more than anything, and nothing about that play was worthy of a fine. This is simply based on his reputation, and quite honestly it's a load of crap, especially when you consider that the Chicago Bears' Jon Bostic wasn't fined for spearing Kris Durham in the back with his helmet.
Lions center Dominic Raiola perfectly summed up the situation earlier on Wednesday (via MLive):
"I mean the guy is violent, football is a violent game," Raiola said. "I don't think you can ever make hitting somebody soft. It's ridiculous. I've got nothing more to say about it."
When prodded, Raiola added, "It was a football play to me. I guess maybe my view of football is different from the way football is viewed now. I really don't know what they're looking at."
If Suh's hit is truly a finable offense, why doesn't the NFL just get rid of hitting all together and stop the charade? Because this, as Raiola said, is ridiculous.