Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs has launched a scathing attack on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, accusing him of being biased towards certain teams.
Suggs believes that Goodell "has his favourites" in the league and also thinks that the commissioner had something to do with the unprecedented blackout that marred last season's Super Bowl.
Play was suspended for 34 minutes with the Ravens leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6, before the 49ers scored 17 unanswered points and almost pulled off a dramatic comeback after the match resumed.
"I was like Vegas, parlour tricks, you know what I mean? I was like, ahh, Roger Goodell, he never stops, he always has something up his sleeve. He just couldn't let us have this one in a landslide, huh? I thought he had a hand in it. Most definitely, he had a hand in it," Suggs told ESPN.
"We walk out of the Denver game, and linebackers are warming up on their sideline, and who do we see talking with John Elway, and it's like hmmm. I thought, your commissioner is supposed to be neutral. He isn't supposed to be on one side or the other; he's supposed to be in the box. I saw him on their sideline and I was like, huh, I know who he's going for. I think he definitely has his favourites.
"He'll deny it but, like I said, when I run out of the tunnel and the first thing I see is John Elway laughing it up, I'm definitely going to feel some way about that. You're the commissioner of this league and you're supposed to make sure everything is being played on an even playing field. I definitely don't think he's doing a good job, and I don't think he should be making $10m a year. That's just my personal opinion."
The Ravens are currently 2-2 for the season and will face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
