Depending on who people believe, Lions defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril might lose the respect of a lot of their peers after Sunday.
"I had respect for Suh before the game," Falcons center Todd McClure told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But when Matt was on the ground, the things [Suh] was saying and the trash he was talking was definitely uncalled for. There are certain things you don't do. [He said], 'Get the cart' and several other things that I can't repeat."
McClure wasn't the only Falcon to make such a claim, either.
"I lost a whole lot of respect for 90 [Suh] today, and also 92 [Avril]," wide receiver Roddy White said. "The [expletive] they were doing when Matt got hurt, that was unacceptable. ... Like 92 was kicking [Ryan's] feet, saying, 'Get him off the field.' We don't do stuff like that. We don't rally over guys when they get hurt. It was just inappropriate behavior. I mean, 'Get the cart'? Are you serious? Come on. When you compete, you never want to see a guy get hurt."
So far, we've heard just one response from the accused -- from Avril, via Twitter.
"Come on I'm not in the business of hurting not one guy on the field... I would never taunt anyone on an injury...," he tweeted.
On Monday, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said he "would be very surprised" if Suh and Avril acted this way and called it "out of character" if that happened.
Suh was called for a personal foul after face masking Ryan earlier in the game, and he easily could've -- and maybe should've -- been flagged for a post-play shove on Falcons center Joe Hawley. While it's hard to pass judgment on this situation without actually being on the field, it's odd to think both McClure and White would fabricate similar stories after a victory.
We're all familiar with Suh's history of illegal hits during his brief NFL career, so at the very least he isn't doing much to alter his image as a dirty player.
