Asked if he had concerns about Ndamukong Suh's recent behavior, Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz, playing dumb, sounded as though he could barely comprehend the question.

"I really don't understand what you mean — just the fact that he was in a fender bender?"

Ah, gee, Coach; no, we mean something more than that. Let us explain. We'll go slow and use as many single-syllable — uh, sorry — small words as we can.

Your star defensive tackle was in more than a fender bender.

On Dec. 3 at 1:14 in the morning, Suh lost control of his vintage Chevrolet Chevelle SS and smashed into a tree, a light pole and a drinking fountain in downtown Portland, Ore.

According to one of his passengers, "When the light turned green, he floored it. I just remember going so fast and it was violent, and just getting thrown around like rag dolls."

Said a witness: As soon as the signal turned green, [Suh] floored it and by mid-intersection, his back end had swung around. There's no other way to describe it [but reckless]. He put the metal to the floor and spun the tires as fast as he could and lost control of the car."

Suh — a league leader in personal fouls serving a two-game suspension for stomping on an opponent's arm — already has demonstrated recklessness and a lack of maturity on the field.

This account of the accident indicates his issues transcend football.

More disturbing is the appearance that Suh lied to police about the cause of the accident and whether there were passenger injuries. Suh told officers he was trying to pass a taxicab when he lost control of the Chevelle. Witnesses said there was no taxi.

Suh also told the 911 operator — twice — that there were no injuries. But on Monday, two women came forward to say that they had, in fact, been hurt in the crash.

There were reports of bruises and soreness, reports of a cut to the forehead and a black eye.

One of the women claimed she had told Suh she needed medical attention, only to have Suh tell her she was fine. The amended police report said the woman walked down the street, had her husband pick her up and take her to a hospital.

The amended report also says that there were four people in the car at the time of the crash, not three, as originally stated.

Now, this is hardly the crime of the century; in fact, the police don't consider it a crime at all. Lying to the police, a Portland sergeant said, isn't, in and of itself, against the law. And as the sergeant also pointed out, in a he-said, she-said situation, truth can be hard to determine.

Still, something is hinky about the accident and the aftermath. Something is worrisome about Suh's behavior, on-field and off.

And if Schwartz actually doesn't see that, he's not just playing dumb.

Contact Jim Gordon at
gjames43@msn.com.