Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been known around the league for his rough antics on the field and his gritty (some say dirty) style of play in the trenches. He is a great talent, but attitude issues may stop him from becoming the dominant defensive player he aspires to be.
These mental issues have started to seep in to his life off the field, including on Thursday morning when Suh was accused of sideswiping a car and leaving the scene of an accident.
As reported by My Fox Detroit, Suh was accused of hitting a car driven by local resident Steve Vines, getting into a road rage argument and leaving the scene of an accident.
"All three of us got over. He rode up on my butt," said Steve Vines. "As we're going up the ramp, he just punched it, went right around me.... He just sideswiped me."
According to the report: "Vines was on his way into work about 6:20 a.m. Thursday when he and other drivers merged on the Rotunda ramp along the southbound Southfield. He said the driver behind him in a black Range Rover sped around him and sideswiped his car. They stopped at the light. Vines got out of his Escort and the other driver, whose taillights were damaged, started yelling."
"I look over at him and he started yelling at me, 'Trying to cut me off. Get out of the way.' And I just said, 'Really?'" he explained. "He just started yelling about getting the hell out of his way and cutting him off."
Following the incident Vines called 911 and told them he saw the driver go to the Detroit Lions practice facility. He arrived there before the police and got into an argument with Suh.
"That's when he said, 'I advise you to leave, now.' And I said, 'I'm not going anywhere. I talked to the police.' (He said), 'I don't care what they said. You need to get out of here.' And then he said, 'I'm advising you to leave, now.'"
At first Vines had no idea he got into an incident with an NFL player.
"The fact that you hit me, you got to stop, and then just to be as arrogant and say, well, I'm going to take off, they can come find me over here," said Vines. "I don't know who this guy is at first and tell you the truth, I still didn't realize it was Ndamukong Suh until I was told that's who it was."
This would not be the first time Suh has had issues with auto incidents.
While serving a suspension for stomping on a Green Bay Packers player during a game on Thanksgiving (there's a bit of a recurring theme with Suh), he was involved in a one-car accident.
He is currently facing a lawsuit stemming from that incident and this new one will not help him or the Lions focus on the football field
According to the Seattle Times from December 2011: "He wasn't drunk and wasn't driving crazy or anything. He wasn't a jerk," said Sgt. Peter Simpson of the Portland Police Bureau. "I think he stomped on the gas when he was going around a taxi and lost the back end, spun around and hit a tree and a light pole and a (drinking) fountain. No injuries to anybody and he didn't hit any other cars."
Suh has had issues with anger dating back to his time playing college at Nebraska. Last year Matt Slauson, offensive lineman for the New York Jets and a former teammate of Suh's in college, was quoted as saying in 2011: "He was well-respected for his ability, but everybody kind of knew who he was," Slauson said. "He wasn't well-liked. I don't know if he's got a screw loose or if he's trying to make himself the villain, but whatever he's doing is wrong and it's got to be fixed."
The Lions were already criticized in the offseason after a number of players were arrested for off the field issues, including cornerback Eric Berry, who was arrested twice.
The team was a surprise playoff squad last year, but has not played up to expectations in 2012, going 1-3 on the year so far, good for fourth in the NFC North.
UPDATE:
According to the Detroit Free Press:
"Dearborn Police say their investigation into a traffic accident involving Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is closed, and no tickets will be issued to either party."
"The investigation is closed," the department said in a released statement. "It was a minor traffic accident in which fault cannot be determined and there will be no charges to either party."
