Damontae Kazee suspension: Tom Brady blames QBs for NFL’s controversial suspension of Steelers safety
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was suspended by the NFL for the rest of the season. The league made the big decision after his hit in Week 15 knocked out Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
Kazee has already been fined five times this season for his repeated violations of the league's policy regarding player protection. His fines before suspension added up to $59,030; now, regardless of whether the Steelers advance to the playoffs, he will sit out the rest of the season.
After Kazee's suspension, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady commented on a post on Instagram. He blamed the safety's suspension on the quarterbacks who often put their wide receivers' health in danger by throwing the ball carelessly.
Brady said:
"Nobody likes seeing players get hurt. But hard hits happen. QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits. Coaches need to coach better, QBs needs to read coverages and throw the ball to the right places and defenders should aim for the right hitting areas."
"To put the blame on the defense player all the time is just flat out wrong. Need better QB play!! It's not OK QBs to get your WRs hit because of your bad decisions!"
It wasn't Brady's first remark about how bad the modern NFL has become. Last month, he described the current state of the NFL as "mediocre," citing how poor quarterback play and poor coaching have resulted in such complicated rules against defensive players.
Damontae Kazee suspension: Steelers safety will not get paid for the rest of games
Damontae Kazee will not be paid for the remaining games of the season due to his suspension. On a personal level, this is a huge setback for him because he had signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Steelers prior to the season.
In addition to Kazee, Denver Broncos cornerback Kareem Jackson has also been suspended without pay by the league. Jackson has received two suspensions totaling six games this season, and the league has taken a lot of heat for it.
With a legend like Tom Brady vocally supporting Kazee, Robert Goodell may be forced to make some changes to avoid penalizing defenders for the offense's mistakes.