Steelers safety suspended for remainder of season following hit that left Colts player concussed

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the season and any potential postseason games following his hit that left an Indianapolis Colts player concussed in Saturday’s game.

The NFL made the announcement Monday, saying his suspension is for “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.”

Kazee was ejected midway through the second quarter of Saturday’s game in Indianapolis for a hard hit on Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who suffered a concussion on the play.

Kazee was flagged for unnecessary roughness after he launched his shoulder into Pittman, who was trying to make a diving catch. Pittman walked off the field after spending a few minutes on the ground. The Colts announced later in the quarter that Pittman had a concussion and would not return.

According to our partners at Steelers Now, Kazee was fined $11,806 for unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, $11,806 for impermissible use of the helmet in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams, $11,806 for impermissible use of the helmet and another $11,806 for a hit on a defenseless player in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and $11,806 for unnecessary roughness against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12.

In a letter to Kazee, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote:

“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 prior violations of rules designed to protect the health and safety of players, specifying that:

“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.”

Kazee will be suspended for games against Cincinnati, Seattle, and Baltimore, and any potential postseason games.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Kazee is allowed to appeal the suspension, according to the NFL.

The Associated Press contributed to this story

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