Pittsburgh — After being ejected for a hard hit on Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on Saturday, Steelers safety Damontae Kazee has been suspended without pay for the final three games of the regular season for repeatedly violating rules designed to protect players’ health and safety, the NFL announced Monday.
The punishment also applies to any potential playoff games.
NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of the rule, which states that it is a foul if a player “forcibly hits the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, face mask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him.”
In a letter to Kazee, Runyan claimed that the Steelers safety had a “unobstructed path” to Pittman and that “illegal contact could have been avoided.”
“With 8:49 remaining in the 2nd quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” Runyan said in a statement. “The video of the play shows you delivering a violent blow to the head/neck area of Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who was in a defenseless position. You had an unimpeded path to your opponent, thus the illegal contact might have been avoided. Your acts were egregious, so you were disqualified from the game.”
After the game, coach Mike Tomlin said the ejection came from “New York,” and on Monday, he added Kazee isn’t “a dirty player.”
“Usually I talk about lowering the target,” Tomlin remarked when asked about the coaching tips he offers his safeties. “The target was low, and both players were moving. It was simply unfortunate. I understand he is not a dirty player. He doesn’t want to do some of the things that came to light under those conditions.
“Sometimes it’s simply professional football and how difficult it is to run, but the National Football League is very straightforward, dude. In certain situations, they place all of the responsibility on the defender. It’s unfortunate, but we get it.
Kazee has previously been punished five times for various unnecessary roughness infractions, totaling $59,030 this season.
Runyan’s letter also mentions Kazee’s history as a repeat offender as a contributing cause to his suspension, which will cost him around $208,000 in wages.
“When players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, and particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player, it is appropriate to impose substantially greater penalties,” Runyan said in a statement.
Retired quarterback Tom Brady, who has been vocal about his discontent with the NFL’s rule changes enacted in the name of player safety, responded to Kazee’s punishment in a comment on a SportsCenter Instagram post.
“Nobody enjoys seeing players injured. However, strong strikes do happen. “QBs should not throw the ball in areas where their own teammates are vulnerable to these types of hits,” he wrote. “Coaches must improve their coaching skills, quarterbacks must read coverages and pass the ball to the right places, and defenders must aim for the proper hitting zones. Blaming the defense player all the time is simply wrong. Need better quarterback play!! It is not acceptable for quarterbacks to have their receivers hit as a result of poor decision-making!”
Mike Mitchell, the Colts’ assistant secondary coach and former Steelers defensive back, tweeted Monday, “I don’t know what to tell my safeties anymore.
“I think I’ll let them catch it. If I were a receiver, I’d dive for every grab. This would assure no touch and a complete pass. Playing deep safety in today’s NFL, where rules are primarily written by individuals who have never played, is difficult.”
According to the collective bargaining agreement, Kazee can appeal the suspension. If he does, the appeal will be heard by one of two hearing officers designated by the NFL and the players’ association: Derrick Brooks or James Thrash.
Following the incident, Pittman entered the concussion protocol and did not return to the game.
The Steelers’ safety Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a knee injury on the next play and has been declared out of Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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