Steelers safety superstar suspended by NFL for rest of….
Following the hit, Pittman was ruled out of the Colts’ Week 15 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Damontae Kazee, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Monday for multiple health and safety violations, including a hit on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Mike Wallace on Saturday. The hit occurred in the second quarter, when Wallace dove for a pass and was hit in the head by Kazee. Wallace sustained a concussion and is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Kazee was flagged for the hit and was ejected.
In a letter to the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL VP of Football Operations, Jon Runyan wrote that Kazee was involved in a play at 8:49 of the second quarter that the league deemed to be a flagrant violation of the rules of play. The video shows that Kazee delivered a forceful blow to Wallace’s head/neck area while he was in a vulnerable position. Kazee had an open path to Wallace and the illegal contact should have been avoided.
When players repeatedly break rules designed to protect players’ safety, especially when those violations carry a serious risk of harming an opponent, it is reasonable to impose significantly higher penalties. Runyan suspended Kazee for the rest of the season and any possible Steelers playoff games for violating the NFL’s rules on striking defenseless players in the head or neck (Article 9(b)(1)). According to the NFL’s Article 9(a)(3), a player who is in a “defenseless posture” includes a player attempting to “catch a pass that has not had sufficient time to become a runner.”
Article 9(2) of Rule 12 states that “a player who makes contact against a defenceless opponent shall abstain from committing an offence.” In other words, a player is held to a strict standard of liability when he makes contact with an opponent, regardless of whether the opponent is in motion or not, and regardless of whether he ducked his head or curled up in anticipation of the contact.
A nine-year veteran who started 14 of his 17 starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kazee can appeal his suspension under the collective bargaining agreement.
