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Steelers safety Damontae Kazee has been suspended by the NFL for the remainder of the season. The decision comes following a vicious hit against Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr over the weekend.
Kazee lowered his shoulder on a play where Pittman laid out to catch a pass. He was quickly flagged for unnecessary roughness and ejected from the game.
@sports.news.today2 #damontaekazee #michaelpittmanjr #chiefs #sportstiktok #Viral #Foryou #Trending #fyp #USA #news ♬ The Champion – Lux-Inspira
On the play, Kazee made contact with Pittman’s head/neck as he stretched out for the reception. Though the contact didn’t appear to be helmet-to-helmet, it was egregious enough to land the penalty.
Initially, there was a bit of blowback from the hit. Many asked, “Is he just supposed to let him catch the ball?”
Others believed the quarterback should shoulder some blame for putting his receiver in that defenseless position in the first place.
Ah yes. Reward the offense for putting the QB throwing an inaccurate pass that put the receiver in danger https://t.co/AqmmdvPmw2
— Meecz (@Meecz__) December 18, 2023
Regardless, the NFL opted to send a message due to this not being Kazee’s first offense.
The league cited “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players” as justification for that ruling.
Tom Brady rips QBs after Damontae Kazee suspension
Adam Schefter was one of the first to break the news on social media, which was later recirculated on SportsCenter’s Instagram account.
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That same debate once again resurfaced.
Tom Brady, somewhat surprisingly, backed the defender in this scenario.
“Nobody likes seeing players get hurt, but hard hits happen,” the passer wrote in the comments section. “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,” he continued. “Need better QB play!! It’s not OK, QBs, to get your WRs hit because of your bad decisions!”
Others sided with the seven-time Super Bowl champ.
“He was going full speed. How is he supposed to stop?”
“Bro got suspended the entire season for playing defense, no way.”
The NFL is looking for ways to make the game safer, doing its best to remove dangerous hits from play.
In some instances, though, it seems impossible for defenders to adjust on the fly.
Brady’s take? Don’t reward an offense for creating a potentially dangerous situation while punishing the defender for reacting. Many around the sport tend to agree.