By Anthony Panciocco

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been dominating the NFL since he was drafted second overall in the 2010 draft. A physical freak of nature, Suh plays with the emotion and ferocity that champions are made of. He was named the most charitable player in the NFL by the Giving Back Fund, and was recently named a team captain. He claims to have “grown up” and his character off the field has never been questioned.

So what’s not to like? It is his on-the-field antics that often endanger the well-being of his fellow players that has people wondering who the real Suh is.

Suh’s history of misconduct started after he was drafted, the first major incident coming on Thanksgiving Day in 2011. After an ordinary play was ruled dead and the whistle was blown, Suh shoved Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith’s head into the ground three times and stomped on his arm as he walked away.

After the game, Suh acted as though he was completely innocent, saying that “a lot of people are going to interpret it as or create their own storylines for seeing what they want to interpret. But I know what I did, and the man upstairs knows what I did.”

Had you not seen the play, the quote made him sound like a man who truly believed he was innocent of whatever he was accused of. Five days later he made a 180-degree turn, admitting on his Facebook page that he had “made a mistake” and “would have to deal with it,” our first glimpse of two-faced Suh. The incident led NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend him for two games without pay.

Exactly a year later, Suh kicked Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin as he fell to the turf. He was fined $30,000 for the incident and refused to comment on it. To add to his rich history of fines and misconduct, he elbowed Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler to the ground, ripped the helmet off Cincinatti Bengal’s signal-caller Andy Dalton, and threw the Cleveland Browns’ Jake Delhomme to the ground by his helmet well after the play ended. It took Suh just two years in the league to rack up $177,550 in fines and establish himself as a “dirty player” amongst his peers.

Last offseason, things started to change. Suh was voted a team captain and it was reported on ESPN that he had taken charge in a players-only meeting to preach about the importance of keeping their emotions in check during games and eliminating silly penalties. Even head coach Jim Schwartz chimed in, complementing the Nebraska University product on how much he had matured. It seemed that Suh was finally figuring out how to channel his emotions in a positive way on the field.

The facade that Suh had masterfully created in the offseason was quickly revealed after his Week 1 incident against the Minnesota Vikings. While the Lions were returning an interception for an easy touchdown, Suh dove at the knees of offensive lineman John Sullivan and could have very easily ended the center’s season despite the fact that Sullivan was nowhere near the ball. The interception was called back, putting the ball back in the hands of the Vikes. Suh had failed to keep his emotions in check and committed a silly penalty that cost his team seven points. Sound familiar?

So is Suh a two-sided coin? Sure. There is the face that masterfully courts the media, donates millions to charities and never asks for anything in return.

That other side of him is behind the facemask, and has the potential to endanger his fellow football players at any given moment. When asked about this latest episode, Suh said, “I don’t change.”

Eventually, he’s going to have to.