New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is among those who oppose Damontate Kazee, a Pittsburgh Steelers defender, being suspended for the remainder of the season.
Tom Brady, the former quarterback for the New England Patriots, will be there for Damontae Kazee if he needs a reference for his possible appeal against a suspension that could end his season.
Brady is one of the numerous critics who have taken issue with the NFL’s decision to bench Kazee for the entire season. A significant hit on Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman during the teams’ Saturday game that resulted in a 15-yard penalty and an ejection has the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary defender under fire.
Brady, however, believes that it takes a team effort to avoid big hits. He voiced this opinion in a monologue posted in the comments section of a SportsCenter post that confirmed Kazee’s suspension.
Nobody enjoys watching athletes suffer injuries. But severe blows do occur,” Brady wrote. “QBs shouldn’t be passing the ball in situations that put their own teammates at risk of these kinds of hits. QBs (need to read coverages and throw the ball to the right places), defenders should aim for the right hitting areas, and coaches need to coach better.
It is simply incorrect to always place the blame on the defense player. Better quarterback play is required! QBs, it is not acceptable for your wide receivers to be hit due to poor decision-making.”
Pittman lunged to grab a pass from Gardner Minshew, the quarterback, and this resulted in a head-to-head agreement with Kazee, who had come to play football. Despite having a concussion, the Indianapolis star had to leave the game as the Colts won 30–13.
Brady has previously voiced support for defenders in November, when he denounced the “mediocrity” that he believed had crept into NFL games due in part to a number of safety regulations that seemed to favor offensive players.
“Players who are offensive must defend themselves. A defensive player cannot defend an offensive player. Brady stated as much during an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show in November. “A defensive player needs to protect himself.” “I think a lot of the way that the rules have come into play have allowed this: you can essentially play carefree and then if anyone hits you hard, there’s a penalty.”
Unfortunately for Kazee, a letter of recommendation for Brady may not be enough to get him out of trouble; the seventh-year safety has already received four fines for hits that the league has deemed to be “defensive receiver hits” or “impermissible helmet use.”
Kazee will therefore be unable to witness the remainder of the Steelers’ gradually diminishing postseason run, which resumes this Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
