Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the regular season – and any potential postseason games – for repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, the NFL announced Monday.
In the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s Week 15 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Kazee launched himself at the head of Michael Pittman Jr., who was diving to try to make a catch.
Jon Runyan, NFL Vice President of Football Operations, issued Kazee’s suspension for the violation of a rule which states that it’s 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.”
In a letter to Kazee, Runyan wrote: “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 the Steelers’ remaining regular season games against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens.
Kazee can appeal the suspension under the current collective bargaining agreement.
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