National Football League

Police: Suh's car crash is closed case

Published Dec. 6, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Police in Oregon said Tuesday they had no plans to reopen an investigation into the traffic accident involving Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh despite claims from two of his passengers that he lied to police, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Suh, 24, told police in Portland he crashed his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS early Saturday morning after losing control of the car as he attempted to pass a taxicab.

On Monday, two female passengers in Suh's car informed KGW-TV the Lions defensive tackle was driving recklessly just before he struck a tree, a light pole and drinking fountain. The pair also claimed Suh did not heed their requests for medical attention, telling police no one was hurt.

But Portland Police Sgt. Peter Simpson told the Free Press on Tuesday one of the passengers contacted Suh the day after the accident to request that he change his statement in the initial report to show she was injured. Simpson said when Suh declined to alter his statement the woman opted to do the KGW interview "because she needed to give her name to get her medical bills paid for."

Simpson said the conflicting reports make it difficult to ascertain who is telling the truth. "It's sort of a he said, she said," Simpson told the Free Press.

"Under the Oregon law of providing false info to police, it's based on your name for the purposes of a citation. So even if he didn't tell the whole truth, it still doesn't rise to any sort of criminal aspect," Simpson added.

"Ultimately for a police agency, it's pretty challenging to investigate an accident two days later when two people in the car did not come forward and now have come forward with somewhat conflicting information."

Police responded to the incident early in the morning and determined Suh was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Suh told the 911 dispatcher, "Yes, everyone is fine" when asked if he was sure an ambulance was not required at the scene.

An additional police report stated Suh's passengers were later treated at a local hospital, with one suffering a torn shoulder muscle, black eye and busted lip. The report said the unnamed woman received five stitches for a cut to her forehead.

Suh is serving a two-game suspension for stomping on the arm of Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith in a game played on Thanksgiving Day.