NFL suspends Steelers' Damontae Kazee for remainder of season without pay
The NFL has taken the initiative to protect their players at all costs when they're on the field. That has increased flags, fines, and ejections for players, typically on the defensive side of the ball. But following his ejection on Saturday, the NFL is making an example out of Pittsburgh Steelers staring safety Damonate Kazee, […]
The NFL has taken the initiative to protect their players at all costs when they're on the field.
That has increased flags, fines, and ejections for players, typically on the defensive side of the ball.
But following his ejection on Saturday, the NFL is making an example out of Pittsburgh Steelers staring safety Damonate Kazee, suspending him for the rest of the year and without pay:
Damontae Kazee Suspended for Remainder of 2023
Kazee was ejected for a violent hit that sent Colts star WR Michael Pittman Jr. to the locker room, where he was ruled out with a concussion. The hit is a textbook no-go in the modern NFL, even if it occurred at full speed:
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 (b)(1) which states that it is a foul if a player "forcibly hits the defenseless player's head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, 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.
– NFL Press Release
"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 wrote in a letter to Kazee. "The video of the play shows that you delivered a forcible blow to the head/neck area of Colts' receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who was in a defenseless posture. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided. Your actions were flagrant, and as a result, you were disqualified from the game…
"…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."
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