Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ndamukong Suh will get his appeals hearing right away.
This afternoon, Suh will present his appeal of his two-game suspension for stomping Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith to Art Shell. The league handed out the suspension Tuesday, but Suh immediately appealed.
Shell is a joint appointee of the NFL and the players’ association for such cases.
A person familiar with the process told The Associated Press on Wednesday about the hearing, which will be held by conference call. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced when the hearing will occur.
Suh stomped on Dietrich-Smith during Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers and was ejected. Should he lose the appeal, he will miss Sunday’s game at New Orleans and the Lions’ Dec. 11 home game against Minnesota.
Usually, a hearing is held within 10 days of the filing of an appeal. But the league has expedited Suh’s high-profile case to give the Lions and the second-year player an answer before the Saints game.
If Suh, the 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year and an All-Pro, loses the appeal, he can return to the Lions on Dec. 12 before a road game against Oakland. He is barred from practice and the team’s facility while suspended.
Early last month, Suh requested and was granted a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his play after he drew several penalties and fines. Suh said he had a better understanding of the rules after that meeting.
On Sunday, with it becoming apparent he would be disciplined again, Suh called Goodell to apologize.
Against Green Bay on national TV, Suh lifted up his right knee and forcibly stepped on Dietrich-Smith’s right arm during the third quarter of the Lions’ 27-15 loss. Before the stomp, Suh shoved Dietrich-Smith’s helmet toward the turf while separating himself from the Packers player on the ground.
He was penalized and ejected.
Asked about the incident after the game, Suh sounded defiant, insisting he didn’t intentionally step on Dietrich-Smith. A day later, following criticism from the Lions, Suh apologized to his teammates, organization and fans — not to Dietrich-Smith.
His actions prompted more criticism around the league, with some calling Suh the NFL’s dirtiest player.
Suh can afford any fines — he is making $40 million guaranteed with a chance to get paid as much as $68 million in a five-year contract he signed after Detroit drafted him No. 2 overall in 2010.