Steelers safety Damontae Kazee suspended for remainder of season for dangerous hits

The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee for the rest of the season following his vicious hit on Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. over the weekend.

Kazee will miss the rest of the regular season, as well as any potential Steelers playoff games. He is suspended without pay.

The NFL said in a statement that the suspension of Damontae Kazee is due to “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during this Saturday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.”

Kazee was ejected from the game following his hit on Michael Pittman Jr. It left Pittman with a concussion. You can watch the clip below:

Here’s the hit on #Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. on Sunday that got Kazee ejected, and now suspended for the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/iM7y1EtXFu https://t.co/tm756taj34

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 18, 2023

Damontae Kazee is in his seventh season in the NFL after being drafted in the fifth round by the Falcons in the 2017 NFL draft.

In addition to Atlanta and Pittsburgh, he has also played for the Dallas Cowboys. He finishes the 2023 season with 61 tackles and two interceptions.

According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Kazee was fined five times by the NFL for a total of $59,000, prior to Saturday’s game against the Colts. He was previously fined for unnecessary roughness.

As for Michael Pittman Jr., who remains in concussion protocol. Pittman has been one of the best receivers in the NFL this season as he has 99 catches for 1,062 yards.

Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick out for Week 16 vs Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be very shorthanded in the secondary against the Bengals this weekend.

In addition to Damontae Kazee, Mike Tomlin revealed on Monday that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will not play in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals due to the knee injury he sustained against the Colts.

Although Fitzpatrick is out for the Bengals game, the Steelers could return safety Elijah Riley this week. Riley has been dealing with a high-ankle sprain. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward is another defender questionable for Week 16. The veteran is in concussion protocol.

Fitzpatrick has been a key piece of the Steelers defense this year, which is a huge reason why Pittsburgh is 7-7 despite its struggles on offense. He has 64 tackles and a tackle for loss across nine games this year, but still has yet to record an interception after pulling down a career-high six picks last year.

Fitzpatrick’s knee injury came one play after fellow safety Damontae Kazee was ejected for a hit on Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman. That also resulted in a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. Kazee has now been suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season.