STEELERS S DAMONTAE KAZEE SUSPENDED FOR REMAINDER OF THE SEASON AFTER HIT ON COLTS WR MICHAEL PITTMAN JR
The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee without pay for the rest of the year, including any potential postseason games for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, the league announced on Monday.
Kazee’s suspension comes in the aftermath of a hit the 30-year-old free safety had on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on Saturday which eventually ruled the fourth-year wide receiver out of the game with concussion. Kazee was subsequently ejected from the game.
As per a statement by the league, Kazee was deemed in violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 (b)(1) which states that it is regarded 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.”
Article 9 (a)(3) further clarifies that a player in a defenseless posture includes “[a] player attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner…” as was the case with Pittman on Saturday.
In a letter written to Kazee, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan said, “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.”
“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.”
Runyan also noted that Kazee has had multiple violations of rules involving the protection and safety of players in the past, and said it was appropriate to impose substantially greater penalties. The 2018 league interceptions leader will thus miss the Pittsburgh Steelers’ remaining three games of the regular season against Cincinnati, Seattle, and Baltimore, as well as any possible playoff games.
As per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the seventh-year defensive back reserves the right to appeal the ruling. Any appeal will be heard and decided by one of Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, both jointly appointed and compensated by the league and the NFLPA to decide appeals regarding on-field player discipline.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady, who has been vocal in the recent past regarding player suspensions involving the health and safety of players, responded to the video of Kazee’s hit on Pittman on Instagram with a strong written message. He said, “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 need 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 [for] QBs to get your WRs hit because of your bad decisions!”
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year, JJ Watt who only recently retired, agreed with Brady’s sentiment by replying to his comment with the two hands high-fiving emoji.
Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson was also suspended last month for an illegal hit on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs and revealed after a November 29th meeting with Roger Goodell that the commissioner told him it was his responsibility to protect offensive players.
“I feel a lot better leaving being able to express myself, but I was told that I’m responsible for the offensive guys’ protection,” said Jackson. “I’m not really sure how I protect myself, make plays and protect him [the offensive player] as well, but that’s what I was told. I’m not really sure what I do moving forward as far as playing this game, so, I hopefully I’ll figure it out.”
Jackson had been slapped with a series of fines over the past few years, including two suspensions this season that will end up costing him six games – and crucially, six game checks. The 20th overall pick in the 2010 draft traveled to the NFL offices in New York City to seek clarity on the reasoning behind his aforementioned punishment from the league and came back with an answer that left him quite puzzled.
The former Alabama alumni said he was asked what the offensive players would say after taking hits like that to which Jackson replied: “I know exactly what they’d say, because I talk to these guys. I have relationships with these guys. And they same the same thing: ‘You’re trying to make a play just like I’m trying to make a play.”
“I think [Vikings QB Josh] Dobbs said it in his press conference after the game. These are guys that, they’re not hurt; they’re getting right up.”
As implied in the statement from the league on Monday, Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9, places responsibility of protecting a defenseless offensive player in the hands of the defender rather than in the offensive player’s own hands.
Article 9 states rather bluntly, “[a] player who initiates contact against a defenseless opponent is responsible for avoiding an illegal act. A standard of strict liability applies for any contact against an opponent, even if his body position is in motion, and irrespective of any acts by him, such as ducking his head or curling up his body in anticipation of contact.”
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Andy. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.