Larry Fitzgerald defends ‘close friend’ Ndamukong Suh over eye poke

Ndamukong Suh has been guilty of committing numerous dirty plays throughout his NFL career, but future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald insists what Suh did to him on Sunday was not another example of that.

A video clip that has been circulating from the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Arizona Cardinals shows Suh putting his hand in Fitzgerald’s facemask and appearing to poke him in the eye. Football fans were outraged that Suh would do something like that to one of the most respected players in NFL history.

Did Ndamukong Suh seriously try to poke Larry Fitzgerald's eye on Sunday? That's messed up.

Wow. pic.twitter.com/GO8rdGW0RR

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 25, 2018

If Suh really was trying to gouge out Fitzgerald’s eye, it was somewhat bizarre that the star receiver did not have a more angry reaction. On Wednesday, Fitzgerald explained that he is close friends with Suh and the two were just horsing around.

Wanted to address the video circulating from Sunday: I’ve known @NdamukongSuh since his college days and he’s a close friend of mine. Quality as a person matches his quality as a player.

That video is just a friend clowning with another friend. No negative intent! It's all love

— Larry Fitzgerald (@LarryFitzgerald) December 26, 2018

Fitzgerald has no reason to lie, so that should save the NFL’s disciplinary department some trouble. While Suh has deserved to be punished for some of the cheap shots he has thrown in the past, the latest incident was obviously taken out of context.