After retiring, Tom Brady is no longer involved in day-to-day NFL affairs, but on Monday he made an exception and defended Pittsburgh Steelers player Damontae Kazee, who was suspended for the remainder of the season.
During Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts, Kazee hit receiver Michael Pittman Jr. while he was in a vulnerable position. While diving to catch the ball, No. 11 made heavy helmet-to-helmet contact.
Kazee was ejected from the game and the NFL added a three-game suspension to him. If the Steelers manage to make the playoffs, he could be out as well.
Without completely excusing the gesture from Kazee, who is a repeat offender, Brady wanted to point out that Gardner Minshew's pass had put Pittman in a difficult situation. “Always putting the blame on the defensive player is wrong,” he wrote under a SportsCenter Instagram post announcing the suspension, according to TheScore.
“Quarterbacks should not throw the ball into areas that expose their teammates to this type of contact. Coaches need to lead better, quarterbacks need to read coverages better and throw the ball to the right spots, and defenders need to target the right side [parties du corps] at the time of the tackle,” Brady advised.
Pittman left the field under his own power, but suffered a concussion and was unable to return to the game. Kazee, for his part, plans to appeal the NFL's decision.