Ndamukong Suh starts to cry, steps away from news conference

Ndamukong Suh has an image of a player who often plays over the line, and that's not necessarily wrong.

But no matter what you think about his style of play, the Detroit Lions defensive tackle cares. He showed that after the Detroit Lions' 24-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's wild-card round.

It was a heartbreaking loss. The Lions led 14-0 in the first quarter, but let the Cowboys back in the game and gave up the game-winning score in the fourth quarter after a controversial non-call on a possible pass interference. The Lions haven't won a playoff game since the 1991 season. Suh has played five NFL seasons without experiencing a playoff win.

"It’s tough, at the end of the day," Suh said at the start of his news conference. "It’s tough."

Suh started to break down as he answered questions, and talked about how shocked he was to lose.

"Honestly, I didn’t expect this," Suh said. "That’s what it comes down to."

After barely getting out an answer to the next question as his voice cracked, Suh walked away from the podium to compose himself. Are you surprised at Suh's tears? Strong men also cry.

"It’s sickening," Suh said after he returned. "I don’t know."

Suh might have been playing his last game with the Lions, which could have led to his emotions. He will be a free agent this offseason and it's unsure if he'll be back. He's one of the best defensive linemen in football and will draw a huge contract.

That didn't matter to him right after Sunday's loss.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab