Steelers call out ‘dirty player’ Terrell Suggs for diving at LeGarrette Blount’s knees

For fans, it’s too bad the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers won’t play again this season. NFL officials are probably pretty happy.

One of the NFL’s most intense rivalries got really hot on Sunday night after Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs dove at the back of Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount’s knees at the end of a play when it was pretty clear that was unnecessary. Was it dirty? The Steelers thought so.

The Ravens and Steelers scuffled for a few plays after that, until the officials talked to both coaches to calm the situation. The NBC announcers likened it to an umpire talking to both managers during a beaning war in baseball. That seemed accurate.

It’s safe to assume there would be some lingering feelings if the teams played again soon, but Sunday night was the teams’ second and final meeting this season barring a battle in the playoffs. Maybe an offseason will calm things down. But Steelers players didn’t hold much back after the game, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I don’t know what [Suggs] was doing,” Blount said. “I don’t know what he was thinking. He’s known to be a dirty player. As long as he does that he’s going to continue to have people come after him and do whatever we did to get in his head.”

Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert also called the hit “dirty,” according to the Post-Gazette.

“He should be getting a FedEx in the mail,” Gilbert said, indicating a fine. “If he doesn’t, I’ll be very surprised and very disappointed. You don’t play football like that, especially when the play is already over. You don’t go back at a guy’s knees.”

Suggs, who has never been shy about speaking his mind, brushed it off.

“I assessed the play,” Suggs said, according to the Post-Gazette. “That was the only way I could get him down without him gaining more yards. I wasn’t trying to get him hurt. I was just trying to get the big guy down. Whatever.”

Was Suggs’ hit dirty? If you live anywhere near Pittsburgh, I can anticipate your answer to that.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab