By Lydia Jane Allison
NEW YORK — Dec. 18, 2023 — Damontae Kazee of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the regular season and any potential postseason games for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during this Saturday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 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.”
Article 9 (a)(3) further explains that a player in a defenseless posture includes “[a] player attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner…”
Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 also states, “[a] player who initiates contact against a defenseless opponent is responsible for avoiding an illegal act. A standard of strict liability applies for any contact against an opponent, even if his body position is in motion, and irrespective of any acts by him, such as ducking his head or curling up his body in anticipation of contact.”
In a letter to Kazee, 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 may appeal the suspension. Any appeal will be heard and decided by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the hearing officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.
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