ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Ndamukong Suh's stomp will cost him two games without pay.

The NFL suspended Detroit's All-Pro defensive tackle on Tuesday for roughing up a Green Bay Packers player in front of a national television audience during a loss on Thanksgiving Day. Suh will miss Sunday night's game at New Orleans and a Dec. 11 home game against Minnesota and he won't be paid until he is reinstated Dec. 12.

Suh formally appealed the punishment Tuesday afternoon. Art Shell will serve as the appeals officer. Appeals of discipline for on-field violations do not go to commissioner Roger Goodell.

The hearing will take place Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Suh is remorseful and knows he made a mistake last week, but he also was encouraged by the NFL Players Association and Goodell to appeal his two-game suspension, league sources told Schefter.

However, NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said the union did not encourage Suh to appeal.

"The only position the union takes is that as with any player they will support the process if the player choses to do so," Atallah told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

Suh is prepared to conform with the punishment, meaning that he is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Saints with the hope that his suspension could be reduced to one game, sources said.

This suspension is a larger issue than with just Suh, according to one source. The NFLPA wants to try to prevent other players involved in similar incidents from being suspended in the future.

Suh's suspension will cost him $164,000, or two game checks.

"As a player, you have to appeal it," said Detroit defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, the team's union rep. "I'm sure the NFLPA will be on his side to make sure that he gets a fair hearing."

Suh called Goodell on Sunday to apologize, but it didn't seem to help.

"I'll let him speak for himself when he gets that opportunity, but I've had a lot of conversations with him the last two days and I think he is in a different spot," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Tuesday. "I think his No. 1 thing is, he didn't want to be a distraction for the team. He wanted the team to be able to focus on the Saints and he wants to be accountable for his actions."