https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btk0BQC3Lzk
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh has a reputation as one of the NFL’s most feared players, so E:60 producer Dan Lindberg wasn’t sure what to expect when meeting Suh for the first time.
Suh will be featured in the premiere episode of E:60’s ninth season, airing tonight at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The feature, reported by special correspondent Bob Woodruff of ABC News, was Lindberg’s first production for the magazine version of E:60 and he said Suh quickly made it clear that shooting the piece was not going to be an issue.
“For a guy who has this reputation that he does, when I tell you he couldn’t have been more gracious and nicer to work with, it’s the truth,” said Lindberg.
The piece was shot in Detroit, in Suh’s hometown of Portland, Ore., and in Brazil, when Suh attended the FIFA World Cup.
“Everyone knows he comes from a soccer family,” Lindberg said. “We gave him a flip cam, and he and the people that he was with just shot stuff on it in Brazil. We’ve got video in the piece that they shot when literally there were no ESPN people around.”
“But on top of that, he and his father Michael played some soccer with Bob Woodruff on one of the beaches in Brazil, and it’s just beautiful video,” Lindberg continued. “It’s a side of Suh that you wouldn’t expect to see.
“You kind of forget that this guy likes to take vacations with his parents, and just wants to go and play soccer on the beach with his dad, so that’s what we’re trying to show – both sides of his personality.”
Lindberg said that choosing Suh as a feature subject for E:60 was a “no-brainer.”
“Suh is a lightning rod and he’s one of those guys that, love him or hate him, when people see his name, it sparks interest,” he said. “So he’s kind of a dream character for a show like ours. He’s a big name and a name that people are going to pay attention to, and, he’s got a story to tell. He’s a very, very interesting fellow with a bunch of different sides to him.”
The Lions open their season on ESPN Monday Night Football against the New York Giants on Sept. 8.
