Lions’ Suh Is Fined $30,000 by NFL for Foot to Schaub’s Groin

Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions was fined $30,000 by the National Football League for striking Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin with his foot during a Nov. 22 game.

The NFL said two days ago that while Suh wouldn’t be suspended, the play would be reviewed for a potential fine. NFL spokesman Randall Liu confirmed today that Suh was disciplined for “unnecessary roughness.”

Suh, a defensive lineman, didn’t initially receive a penalty on the play, in which he fell to the ground and rolled over a Houston offensive lineman before his foot extended and struck Schaub. Suh told reporters today that the contact, which NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ray Anderson described last week as an “unnatural football motion,” was unintentional.

“It’s a crazy play, one that unfortunately happened,” Suh was quoted as saying by the Detroit News. “I didn’t even realize it until the end of the game. I was being dragged to the ground and my foot inadvertently hit the man. It’s over with and I am moving forward.”

The play came one year after Suh stomped on the arm of a Green Bay Packers’ player in another Thanksgiving Day holiday game. He was suspended for two games for that infraction and offered a public apology. Suh said he didn’t see the need to apologize to Schaub.

“I was dragged to the ground,” Suh said, according to the News. “A lot of things happened to me. It’s part of the game.”

Suh was fined three times by the NFL prior to last year’s suspension and met with Commissioner Roger Goodell in New York afterward to discuss how to better play within the rules.

The Lions (4-7) host the Indianapolis Colts this week.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net