Hearing Officer Who Turned Suh Suspension into Fine Not Convinced He Was Completely Innocent

Ted Cottrell, the hearing officer who turned Ndamukong Suh's suspension into a $70k fine, isn't convinced the former was completely innocent.

Here's what he wrote in a recent letter to Suh, courtesy of Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith: 

“Although I accept that your feet may have been cold on a late December day in Green Bay, it is difficult for me to believe that you did not feel Aaron Rodgers’ leg under you as you stepped on him twice. While you may not have consciously intended to cause injury to the opposing player that you stepped on, I nonetheless believe that you could have avoided—and had the responsibility to avoid—making such dangerous contact with your opponent’s leg—twice. Your conduct was a clear violation of the Playing Rules and was outside the normal course of the game of football. It must be emphasized that illegal acts that jeopardize the safety of other players, as was certainly the case here, will not be tolerated in this League.”