The NFL has settled a topic that has been debated over the last 24 hours by suspending Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for one playoff game after stepping on Aaron Rodgers.
As the Los Angeles Times noted, the league saw Suh’s backward step onto the Green Bay quarterback’s injured leg as "a non-football act" and handed down the one-game suspension.
While some felt that the step was not intentional, Suh’s reputation as a dirty player didn’t help his case. Neither did the fact that he stepped back on Rodgers not once, but twice, which led many to believe that it was on purpose.
The league agreed in a letter explaining the reason for its decision.
"You did not respond in the manner of someone who had lost his balance and accidentally contacted another player who was lying on the ground. This illegal contact, specifically the second step and push off with your left foot, clearly could have been avoided."
The letter to Suh went on to say “you unnecessarily stepped on your opponent's unprotected leg as he lay on the ground unable to protect himself."
Suh’s actions may have really cost the Lions as they made the playoffs and are set to face the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, but now have to compete without their best defensive player.