Ndamukong Suh Says What We Already Knew, Finally

24/7 Sports- When asked about why the hottest free agent on the market decided to sign with the Dolphins, he admitted the No. 1 factor was the reported six-year, $114 million contract they offered him. 

"I would say money is the most important factor," Suh said at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. "I think at all levels, players in the NFL want to be rewarded in many different ways. To me, there’s lots of opportunities to be rewarded. Obviously money is one of them, being able to set up your family. But at the same time, being able to be with a strong group of cast members that I’m sitting next to as well as in this building."

Well, they say the worst thing you can do for a new relationship is have it be based off a lie. Safe to say that's not the case here. In a field where athletes, coaches, and executives spend most of the time mindlessly dropping an endless stream of cliches, and blatantly taking out both sides of their mouth, it's refreshing to hear someone tell it like it is. And you know, I'm not quite sure why it is frowned upon. The NFL is a business. You've seen that with the Jimmy Graham and Shady McCoy trades. Executives make decisions based on money all the time. Players that suffer injuries trying to help the team win get cut all the time. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL so you better sign off on as much money as possible when you can.

Is it really hard to believe that someone like Suh doesn't have some super commendable reason for signing in Miami? By all counts, he's not exactly the nicest guy in the world. The guy nearly gets suspended once out of every two games. He's going to need that paycheck to cover the inevitably high sum of fines he is will undoubtedly ring up over the next five years. 

It's hypocritical for fans to expect any other reason for signing that contract. 95% of society, outside of professional sports, makes decisions based on their bottomline. When is the last time you told your boss you would stay for less money because you really like your current place of employment? Why are professional sports the only line of work where the desire for the almighty dollar is stigmatized? If football players weren't persuaded by money than no one would ever sign off to play on the Jacksonville Jaguars. These guy aren't accountants, or lawyers, or doctors. They aren't working until they are 60. They have a small window to guarantee themselves a lifetime of financial support. Athletes generally start off introductory press conferences by talking about the stability of the franchise, or how much they like the coaching staff, or the promise of the roster. All those things  are ever changing, but that $60 million guaranteed is written in stone. Such may be wearing different team colors next year for all we know, but that money is always going to be green.