Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee's suspension upheld
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was upheld on Wednesday.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the NFL announced that Kazee's suspension for the rest of the regular season was upheld by hearing officer James Thrash, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
Thrash did rule that Kazee is eligible to return to the active roster for the playoffs if the team makes it.
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
Earlier this week, Kazee was suspended without pay for the remainder of the regular season for violating player safety rules. It came after Kazee's violent hit on Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during their matchup on Dec. 16.
Kazee was flagged and ejected in the second quarter after the hit on Pittman, who suffered a concussion on the play.
This week was not the first time Kazee faced discipline this season, as he's been fined five times in the 2023 season.
In the wake of the suspension, players have come to Kazee's defense, including Tom Brady. The legendary quarterback took to Instagram to share his feelings on the suspension.
"To put the blame on the defense player all the time is just flat out wrong," Brady said in the Instagram comments section.
He added that quarterbacks "should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits."
The Steelers (7-7) host the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.