Sports

Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu had his one-game suspension overturned on appeal Tuesday. He called it "relief, a weight off my shoulders."

It was Luvu's third hip-drop tackle, and he will still pay $100,000 for the illegal tackle of Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Luvu, though, said he won't change the way he plays despite feeling the NFL has a "target on my back."

"I play one way, and that's the only way I know how to play -- that's fast, physical and downhill," Luvu said, via John Keim of ESPN.

Luvu also had fines for hip-drop tackles in Week 4 against the Falcons and Week 8 against the Chiefs. He had another in the playoff win over the Lions in January.

He said he doesn't understand what constitutes a hip-drop tackle.

"That's the question I'm trying to ask myself and ask them," Luvu said. "What is it? It's frustrating for me sometimes to look at it, all the plays they've seen it and to see what they're looking at and to see what is a hip-drop. They're still trying to figure out what is a hip-drop. That's out of my control. I worry about making my tackles and helping the team out."

He insists he's not a dirty player and has no intent to injure anyone.

"My teammates know who I am," Luvu said. "I try to play the game the right way."

Former NFL receiver Laveranues Coles has a new calling.

The 10-year veteran, who played for the Jets, Washington, and the Bengals, now works for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

And he's not the only former NFL player who works there. A new report from Kathy Park of NBC News spotlights Coles and former NFL linebacker Jeff Kopp, both of whom now work for the department. Nine former NFL players currently are employed by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

"This job allows me to feel like I’m a part of something greater than myself, like I was when I was in the NFL," Coles told Park.

And the police academy was no picnic. “There’s a lot more running," said Kopp, a detective. "We didn’t run as much in the NFL."

But they love it.

“It’s a totally natural fit," Kopp said. "The pay’s not as good as the NFL, but they’re working on it." That prompted a chuckle from both Kopp and Coles. "He's laughing harder than me because he made a lot more than me," Kopp said.

Indeed he did. The 47-year-old Coles reportedly made more than $42 million.

Kopp spent six years in the NFL, from 1995 through 1999. Coles played from 2000 through 2009. He had three seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, including two in excess of 1,200.

Coles is familiar with the other side of the criminal justice system. At Florida State during the 1999 college football season, he and Peter Warrick faced felony grand theft charges after a store clerk allegedly sold them $412.38 worth of clothing for only $21.40. Coles pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was dismissed from the team. Warrick, a Heisman candidate before the arrest, also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor but was allowed to remain on the Seminoles' roster after missing two games.

Coles had a much more impactful NFL career than Warrick, the fourth overall pick in the 2000 draft.

The Commanders aren't the same team as the one that ended last season in the NFC Championship Game. That much is obvious.

Still, the Lions haven't forgotten the hurt after the 45-31 loss to the Commanders in the divisional round.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff admits they have some "added motivation" heading into Sunday's game against Washington.

"That's definitely a part of it, absolutely," Goff said Wednesday, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "I think more than that, we want to get off of a losing streak here and get a 'W.' Certainly, you're thinking about that, but I think it's nine games ago now.

"So yeah, we're trying to get a win this year and maybe use that as a little added motivation if we need it."

The Lions became only the second 15-win team in NFL history to lose a playoff opener, joining the 2011 Packers. They lost at home in stunning fashion.

"You know Dan [Campbell] is using it for motivation, and it's what we're looking at it, but, again, this is a new year, and we understand that task at hand, so we're just going to prepare the best we can and give it everything we've got," said Aidan Hutchinson, who had a season-ending leg injury in Week 6 last year.

The Lions, though, are more motivated to keep from losing back-to-back games and get back on track. They are only 5-3 after losing only two games last season.

"I just want to see us play our brand of football for 60 minutes our style," Campbell said. "I want to see us line up, I want to see the urgency, the intensity, I want to see the focus, I want to see the finish on the football -- offense, defense. I want to see our playmakers making plays within the scheme, within the system. I want to see our coaches coaching at a high level. I want us playing, coaching on a championship level. And more importantly, I want to play a hell of a lot better than we did last week."