Bruce Arians wants Julius Thomas to be suspended for chop block

Bruce Arians isn't letting up.

In a hyperbolic rant Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals coach called Julius Thomas' chop block on Calais Campbell "the dirtiest play I've ever seen (in 37 years) in the National Football League." He didn't back down from those comments Monday.

Arians said he believed Thomas' hit was premeditated and that the NFL should adopt a rule where players that are guilty of personal fouls and injury to an opponent be suspended for as long as the injured player misses time.

In other words, Arians wants to see Thomas (and/or Ryan Clady) suspended for up to three weeks, the length of time Campbell is expected to miss with an MCL sprain.

"You'll never convince me it wasn't premeditated," Arians said, adding that he believed Denver Broncos head coach John Fox didn't coach that technique.

Both Fox and Thomas denied any intent to perform a chop block on Campbell, let alone injure him.

"That in no way was intentional," Fox said Monday. "[It's] never been coached by me or anybody on my staff or any player we have on our football team in four years. I believe that's probably our first chop block call in our tenure here over four years."

Thomas told USA Today Sunday, "I guarantee that being dirty is not a part of my game, and to intentionally hurt somebody is not something I would ever do."

The NFL has confirmed to Mile High Report that Thomas' hit was correctly penalized on the field via an email from NFL spokesperson Michael Signora; Thomas' hit was a chop block with a "lure," as we described in our original story. A decision on a possible fine would be made later this week, according to Signora.

But a suspension isn't happening, and Arians' comments reek of sour grapes here.

Thanks to Jess Root of Revenge of the Birds, who contributed Arians' quotes to this report.