Damontae Kazee facing a 3-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a signing this past offseason by bringing in free agent safety Damontae Kazee on a one-year deal which made many fans excited for the possibilities once he signed.

With Brian Flores in the mix, the Steelers could deploy a three safety defensive backfield which would include Kazee, Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The team showed some of that this preseason, but it was short-lived.

In the Steelers’ final preseason game vs. the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium, Kazee injured his wrist making a tackle. The injury was serious enough to land him on Injured Reserve (IR). The designation to IR meant Kazee would be forced to miss the first four weeks of the season, at the least.

Wednesday it was announced it might be more than Week 5 before Kazee joins the Steelers, if healthy, and that is because he is now facing a 3-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

This per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network:

At this time, it is unclear if the suspension will begin when he comes off IR, or if the games he is missing right now would count as games missed for the suspension.

Either way, fans will have to wait until Kazee is both healthy, and available, before he can join the team and show some of the potential the team had planned for him in the 2022 regular season.

In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football.

UPDATE

Kazee will be able to serve his suspension while on IR, but won’t receive pay during that time.