The NFL is all-abuzz this week with talk about Ndamukong Suh being "dirty" (again). This week Suh is alleged to have taunted Atlanta's Matt Ryan while Ryan was injured.
This isn't the first time the subject has come up. It's an ongoing discussion that began before the NFL regular season, largely because of Suh's aggressive hits on quarterbacks.
Jason Whitlock implies it's because Suh is a beast who can't get out all his aggression in practice, so it's boiling over on the playing field (I feel guilty linking to his article because it belongs in a toilet. A real toilet, not a virtual one. Print it out, throw it in the toilet. You'll feel better.)
This is Suh they're talking about, our Ndamukong Suh, the greatest player in Nebrsaka school history who donated millions to the athletic department and university before he'd ever signed a NFL contract. Normal people don't do that. Suh's reputation as a classy guy was established long before he ever entered the NFL ranks and because of it he's one of the most beloved players in Nebraska history.
It's easy to understand why they're doing what they're doing when you step back and think - "How many good NFL quarterbacks are there?" and realize the answer is about.... oh... maybe six or eight.
That means that six or eight human beings out of nearly seven billion on the earth are capable of playing a game at a very high level. That's an incredibly rare commodity. Any item that rare must be extremely valuable.
Now this thing comes along and you know it can destroy this extremely rare commodity. It's against the law to kill it, so you have to come up with ways to govern it so that it can't do what it does best.
One of the best ways to do that is to label the thing as "evil".
Or in this case with Suh, it's "dirty". If he's "dirty", referees are more apt to call him for personal fouls. He's more apt to be fined by the league. Worse yet, offensive lineman can get away with more holding and if they want to go so far, cheap shots.
Keep in mind that the labeling doesn't just include NFL owners, players and teams, but it also includes a sports media that makes billions off of the NFL. Newspapers and media who cover teams with good quarterbacks have a vested interest in labeling Suh dirty as well. Rather one player stopped than the gravy train.
Think about the rarity again. It applies to Suh as well.
Nearly seven billion people. Out of all of us, There is only one Ndamukong Suh.
But he must be stopped before he gets to Aaron Rodgers.