Ryan Wooley- Could Ndamukong Suh's Signing Be More Of A Public Relations Move To Save His Image?
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It took four days for Ndamukong Suh to finally sign a contract with the Detroit Lions and he certainly got paid, inking a 5-year, $68 million deal that guarantees him 40-million bucks. But has anyone thought the reason he signed tonight might have been a PR move to save his image rather then just a first round pick inking a deal?
It is no secret that Ndamukong Suh is a special talent and he deserves to be paid. But with him saying in April that he wanted to be in camp on time and then missing four straight days, fans had started to sour on him calling him greedy and a liar, tarnishing an image that really had just begun.
Now don't get me wrong, I believe everyone understands why he didn't sign before Sam Bradford, as he and his agent had to wait to see where his deal would fall in line, just like other first-round picks. But when Gerald McCoy inked his deal with Tampa, there was no reason not to sign right away and make it to camp like he said.
So as one day became two, and two became four, fans began to vent their frustrations here on 97.1 and across the country, which I think Suh didn't like because he took the time to post on his Twitter account saying "Judge not by with appearances, but judge with the right judgment". Could this have been a sign that all the negative talk began to bother him? I think so.
I also think with Suh getting so much negative feedback from many Detroit fans, someone in his camp decided he needs to get a deal done by Tuesday night. Why Tuesday you ask? Because Wednesday is the first day open to the general public to see the team in Allen Park. If fans actually see Suh on the practice field for the first time abusing Gosder Cherilus, Jon Jansen or Stephen Peterman, doing what everyone thought, then all would be forgotten and he still would be this lovable folk hero everyone thought he was on draft day.
Now before anyone accuses me of not liking Suh, that is not the case. I am glad the Lions drafted him and happy he has finally been signed and will debut tomorrow. But I think there is more then meets the eye with this.
Why would it come out that he was looking for more guaranteed money then Matthew Stafford, then all of a sudden sign for less? Why would Suh retaliate against fans criticizing him about holding out, and then sign a deal not even 24 hours later? I say because he and everyone in his camp realized the extra $2-3 million he would have made by holding out longer was not worth the risk of having Detroit fans turn on him before he ever took a meaningful snap in the NFL.
