Coming off back-to-back losses, the Pittsburgh Steelers started well in Week 15’s contest against the Indianapolis Colts. After scoring the game’s first 13 points, the Colts went on to score 30 unanswered points for the victory. In the midst of it all, Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was ejected from the game. The ejection really kept the momentum in the Colts’ favor, especially given the state of Pittsburgh’s safety room.
Not only was Kazee ejected, but it knocked out Colts star wideout Michael Pittman Jr. He was feasting on Pittsburgh's secondary to begin the game too, as he had a quick four catches for 78 yards. In a bit of good news, Pittman was cleared from concussion protocol on Friday in an attempt to play this weekend. In the meantime, shortly after his clearance, he talked about Kazee’s hit via Brett Bensley of FOX 59.
"I think it was not a clean hit, but I don't necessarily want them to suspend him and him lose out on everything, because I don't think he was trying to really hurt me. He was trying to make it hurt, which is different. Hurt and injured is different. I don't think he was trying to paralyze me, but I don't think it was a legal hit," Pittman told reporters on Friday.
It was certainly a scary hit, especially given the lack of those incidents that we see in modern football now. Many former players, including legendary quarterback Tom Brady, blamed the hit on Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew. Essentially, Minshew led his wide receiver, Pittman, right into harm's way. When sped up in game action, it doesn't look like there was much that Kazee could have done to avoid the hit.
Pittman admitted that he never even saw him coming and suddenly, he woke up with a bunch of people looking over him. Kazee's rest-of-season suspension was knocked down a little bit, as he would now be eligible to play in the postseason. Of course, that is if the Steelers are able to make it, which would require three straight wins to end the regular season.
Should Steelers Have Warned Kazee About Repercussions For Hits?
NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent clarified that Kazee’s suspension wasn’t solely due to his hit on Pittman. Rather, Vincent clarified that this was a build-up of past incidents revolving Kazee. The ejection, and the subsequent suspension, led to outrage from players around the league. Even former players, like Brady as aforementioned, hopped in to share their opinion on how soft the NFL has become.
Dating back to his days with the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys, Kazee has been known as a physical hitter. The league has warned him on several occasions, and that’s been evident even in 2023. The seventh-year safety has been fined five times for various hits this season, whether they were warranted or not. The fines totaled nearly $60,000, so the NFL has tried to send him a message throughout the season.
Unfortunately, the league felt it was necessary to suspend him for the final three games of the season. It's a situation that's similar to Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, who has had his fair share of history similar to Kazee. Recently, he was suspended four games for a hit on a Minnesota Vikings wide receiver. Whether we like it or not, it's a part of the modern-era NFL. The league has made it clear that they want to make things safer for the players, and the suspension of Kazee reiterated that message loud and clear.
More must-reads: