Damontae Kazee suspended for remainder of season

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The NFL has handed down a lengthy suspension to Steelers’ safety Damontae Kazee for his defenseless receiver hit on Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during their game on Sunday, suspending Kazee for the remainder of the regular season and any Steelers playoff games. With 8:49 to play in the second quarter, Kazee forcibly hit Pittman in the head/neck area while the receiver was attempting to catch a pass. Kazee was flagged for the hit and was subsequently disqualified from the game.

Update, 12/20: Kazee’s suspension was modified on appeal to only include the 3 remaining regular season games, but not any playoff games.

Hearing officer James Thrash, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, has upheld the suspension of Damontae Kazee for the remainder of the regular season. Thrash also ruled that Kazee would be eligible to return to the active roster for the playoffs, should the club qualify.

— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) December 21, 2023

In the statement from the NFL, vice president of football operations Jon Runyan noted that Kazee violated Rule 12-2-9(b)(1) which states that it is 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.” The league noted that at the time of the hit, Pittman was considered a defenseless player and that it was Kazee’s responsibility to avoid illegal contact on Pittman.

The league also considered Kazee to be a repeat offender of the league’s health and safety rules for its players and likely increased the length of Kazee’s suspension accordingly. Kazee may appeal the suspension, which will be expedited, and that appeal will be heard and decided by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the hearing officers jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA to rule on appeals of on-field player suspensions.

Multiple-game suspensions of NFL players for game infractions

Player	Team	Season	Suspension	Reason
Vontaze Burfict	OAK	2019	12 games*	flagrant lowering helmet to initiate contact, numerous past infractions in a continuous span (ejected)
Myles Garrett	CLE	2019	6 games*	removing a player’s helmet and using it as a weapon (ejected)
Albert Haynesworth	TEN	2005	5 games	stepping on face of prone, helmetless player (ejected)
Kareem Jackson	DEN	2023	4 games	flagrant lowering helmet to initiate contact, 3rd play following 2-game suspension (no penalty)
Damontae Kazee	PIT	2023	3 games‡	flagrant defenseless player hit with previous safety violations (ejected)
Vontaze Burfict	CIN	2017	3 games‡	preseason blindside block/unnecessary roughness with prior suspendable infractions (no penalty)
Vontaze Burfict	CIN	2015†	3 games	AFC WILD CARD multiple infractions of defenseless player hits (no penalty)
Denzel Perryman	HOU	2023	2 games	flagrant hit by lowering helmet, multiple offenses
Kareem Jackson	DEN	2023	2 games‡	flagrant defenseless receiver hit, second ejectable offense of season (ejected)
Javon Wims	CHI	2020	2 games	punching an opponent (ejected)
Maurkice Pouncey	PIT	2019	2 games‡	punching and kicking (ejected)
Brandon Meriweather	WAS	2014†	2 games	preseason defenseless player hit, multiple prior illegal hits (prior suspension reduced 2 games to 1 on appeal)
Ndamukong Suh	DET	2011	2 games	stomped on prone player (ejected)
Charles Martin	GB	1986	2 games	slamming quarterback long after pass thrown (ejected)
Antonio Smith	HOU	2013	1+ game§	preseason using a helmet as a weapon, but no contact (no penalty)
*Remainder of the season, including postseason (did not miss postseason games). †Served beginning Week 1. ‡Appeal reduction: Burfict (2017) from 5 games to 3, Jackson (2023a) 4 games to 2, Kazee to restore playoff eligibility, Pouncey 3 games to 2. §1 regular season game and 2 preseason games, but loss of 1 game check. Sources: So You Think You Know Football?, Football Zebras research