Bucs' Suh: Bad reputation is 'irrelevant in my life'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh understands he has a reputation for being a "dirty player," but he's not letting that bother him as he prepares for the season with his new team.

"I think when people have seen blips of me ... it's been in a negative light, rather than a positive light and that's due to outlets of media, social media, whatever it may be," Suh said, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine. "I can deal with that because I know who I am as a person, I know who my parents are, what kind of child they brought up - it's irrelevant in my life.

"I think the people that know me the best see me always in a good light and see the troubles and tribulations that I've gone through, as any human being goes through in their lives."

Suh has accumulated 71 accepted penalties since he was drafted in 2010 - more than any other player in the league - and has also been fined $336,098.

The Buccaneers signed the former No. 2 overall pick to a reported one-year, $9.25-million deal on May 23, filling the opening that was created when longtime defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was released. Head coach Bruce Arians prefers to focus on Suh's game rather than his reputation.

"We're all here to win, and once you're in the same locker room you can forget all the past stuff," he said. "Some of that stuff happened a long time ago and I don't really care. That doesn't bother me. The way he plays football - I like that. So he's a good fit for us."

Suh notched 59 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.

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