Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports
As a surprise to absolutely no one, Lions center Dominic Raiola’s one-game suspension was upheld. Raiola was suspended after he was seen on video stepping on Bears defensive lineman Ego Ferguson’s ankle. There was no way he could deny it so his suspension was meritless. This is not the first time Raoila has been caught committing dirty plays in the league. Earlier in the season, he was fined for punching Patriots’ defensive lineman Zach Moore in the head.
Raiola’s teammate Stephen Tulloch said the center had apologized for his actions to the team. While on Detroit Sports 105.1 Radio, he said, “We’re not happy; it’s not a happy situation, but he apologized for it — a heartfelt apology to the team. He’s a guy a lot of players respect on this team. He understands what happened, and hopefully the appeal can go through.”
It is unclear why Raiola only received one game considering his past behavior and the league preaching player safety. If Roger Goodell wanted to make a statement that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, his suspension should have extended into the postseason.
Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall had a very strong opinion on Raiola’s questionable actions. “This guy is a dirty player, and he’s a worse human being,” Marshall said during “The Brandon Marshall Show” on ESPN 1000. “He has no respect for himself, and [a] one-game [suspension] is freaking terrible. This was clear. This was clear. This guy literally jumped and stomped on this guy’s ankle. And we give him one game? A game that means nothing to them; means nothing to them.”
