PITTSBURGH (AP/KDKA): Following the hit by Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was suspended without pay for the balance of the NFL season, according to an announcement made by the league
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“It is appropriate to impose substantially greater penalties when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a regular basis, and particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player,” wrote NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan in a letter to Kazee.
This season, Kazee has already experienced punishment at the NFL level once. In the 2023 season, he has been punished five times. The most recent fine came in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals for hitting tight end Irv Smith Jr.
In Week 8, he received two separate fines for needless roughness; in Week 7, he received a second violation; and in Week 2, he committed his first offence of the 2023 campaign.
After a strong hit on Pittman Jr. during the play that resulted in a concussion, Kazee was taken out of the game halfway through the second quarter on Saturday in Indianapolis.After launching his shoulder into Pittman, who was trying to make a diving catch, Kazee was called for unnecessary roughness. Pittman’s teammates surrounded him immediately, and some players from both teams took knees while trainers attended to him. After a few minutes on the ground, Pittman walked off the field, and the Colts announced later in the quarter that Pittman would not be returning due to a concussion.
Pittman, the Colts’ leading receiver, had four catches for 78 yards before the hit, giving him 99 receptions for 1,063 yards this season. He fell four catches short of breaking Marvin Harrison’s franchise record for consecutive games with eight or more receptions (six).
Tom Brady is showing support for Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee after he was suspended for the remainder of the regular season for violating player safety rules.
The NFL legend who spent the majority of his career with the New England Patriots went to Instagram on Monday to share his feelings on the suspension, which came after Kazee’s violent hit on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during Saturday’s matchup.
