The decision to suspend Pittsburgh Steelers’ safety Damontae Kazee for the rest of the season Monday after being ejected in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts for a hit on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was rather shocking.
But for NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent Sr., a former NFL defensive back himself, it came down to something very simple: was the hit from Kazee avoidable?
Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday afternoon, Vincent gave a peek behind the curtain regarding the thought process and ultimate decision-making on the suspension of Kazee, which was handed down by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan Monday for the rest of the season, including playoffs.
“So in Kazee’s instance we have a history here. So it wasn’t just the one play in Indianapolis. And when we just saw it, are you going for the ball? We’re not looking for the end result, in particular myself, who’s responsible for ejections during the game. I’m not looking for the end results. I’m looking for the actual action,” Vincent told Eisen, according to video via Eisen’s Twitter page. “What if you see a player going for the ball? That’s different because you have incidental contact. We’re not trying to say no, don’t separate man from the ball.
“So in this particular case, it’s almost like a lineup, but in Kazee’s situation here…we have a history here, going back from his days in Atlanta, Dallas, and now Pittsburgh.”
Vincent made it clear that the league is not telling the players to not try and separate the receivers from the football. But if the league is not telling them to do that, then what are they telling the defenders to do, especially in this instance?
The ejection of Kazee last Saturday and then the subsequent suspension has garnered plenty of backlash from former NFL players, especially offensive ones. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski both blamed quarterback Gardner Minshew II for putting Pittman in that situation, rather than Kazee for the hit itself.
Gronkowski even defended the hit, asking what more Kazee is supposed to do in that instance after leading with his shoulder and not his helmet as the NFL wants players to do.
Vincent stated that the league is trying to further educate defenders on the changes and trying to make the game safer. Therefore, when it comes to plays like this, Vincent and Runyan put the plays into three categories: intentional, incidental, avoidable. From there, they then judge the play and make a ruling.
In Kazee’s instance, Vincent believes it was avoidable, though he doesn’t say how it was avoidable.
“We look at it and put it in three categories to make it simple for your audience: intentional and incidental contact, or is it avoidable? And the defender’s responsible for that. And when we look at it, was that intentional? Meaning did the defender line the runner up? And then is there incidental? That contact was just incidental. And then you go, was that avoidable?
“So we look at that, that’s kind of how you narrow it down, you narrow down the variables and…in this particular case…we got that little bit of history here that we just need to address. Good player, we just need to make the adjustment for current times today.”
Vincent added that the league is trying to get rid of the unnecessary risks, such as the hit from Kazee, that can affect the way of life for players later on.
The optics of the hit were no doubt bad, but looking at the replay, the only thing Kazee could have done in that instance was allow Pittman to try and make a diving catch, and then tag him down for a big gain. Is that what the league wants? It sure seems that way.
Football is a fast, physical, violent game. Hits like that are going to happen at full speed. But the fact remains that Kazee did everything the league has already asked defenders to do in those situations, which is lead with the shoulder, avoiding head-to-head contact. Granted, it was a shoulder to the head/neck area of Pittman and was going to be a flag no matter what, but a suspension — and even the ejection — felt over the top.
Bang-bang play and Kazee did everything he could in real time to avoid it. Vincent should know that being a former defensive back himself at the highest level.
