On December 17, 2023, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee faced an early exit from the game against the Indianapolis Colts.
His helmet-to-helmet hit on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. resulted in a concussion for Pittman, leading to Kazee’s ejection and an abrupt end to his 2023 season.
The NFL swiftly responded to this incident, announcing on Monday that Kazee would be suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The NFL is suspending Damontae Kazee for the remainder of the season and any possible playoff games for this hit on Michael Pittman Jr, per @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/6VZgiMh1fv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 18, 2023
The suspension includes the final three regular-season games against the Bengals, Seahawks, and Ravens, as well as any potential postseason games.
Unless successful in an appeal, Kazee won’t be eligible to return until the kickoff of the 2024 NFL season.
The league’s decision was explained by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan in a letter to Kazee.
The letter pointed out the clear violation of playing rules intended to protect player health and safety.
The video evidence revealed a forceful blow to the head/neck area of the defenseless Colts’ receiver, and it was emphasized that Kazee had an unobstructed path to avoid illegal contact.
What’s particularly notable is Kazee’s track record as a repeat offender.
Note: Damontae Kazee got in trouble five times this NFL season for breaking the rules. The latest one happened in Week 12 when he hit a player from the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 8, he got fined twice for playing too rough, and he got another fine in Week 7. His first penalty of the season was in Week 2.
Runyan’s letter highlighted this history as a contributing factor to the severity of the suspension, which will cost Kazee approximately $208,000 in salary.
Here’s the NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan’s full letter to Kazee.
“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. “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.”
The announcement on the season-long suspension of Steelers’ safety Damontae Kazee: pic.twitter.com/TFjslvhGgp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2023
Previously, in 2018, Kazee was thrown out of a week 2 game against the Carolina Panthers for delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cam Newton.
Notably, NFL icon Tom Brady weighed in on Kazee’s suspension via Instagram, expressing that while nobody likes to see players get hurt, responsibility should be shared among quarterbacks, coaches, and defenders.
Brady emphasized the importance of improved quarterback decision-making to prevent exposing teammates to potentially dangerous hits.
“Nobody likes seeing players get hurt. But hard hits happen. QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits. Coaches need to coach better, QBs needs to read coverages and throw the ball to the right places and defenders should aim for the right hitting areas. To put the blame on the defense player all the time is just flat out wrong. Need better QB play!! It’s not OK QBs to get your WRs hit because of your bad decisions,” commented Brady under the post shared by SportsCenter.
Tom Brady chiming in on Damontae Kazee suspension on IG #Steelers #NFL 👀 pic.twitter.com/mi1tighDhd
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 18, 2023
Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, Kazee has played in 78 games and started 53 over six seasons.
His journey has taken him from Atlanta (2017–2020) to Dallas in 2021 finally landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, where he signed a two-year, $6 million contract with an average annual salary of $3 million.
