Emotions are rising as the regular season approaches its end. With just a few games left, it means more teams are ready to do anything it takes to win, even risking a few fines. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver, Michael Pittman Jr, got a taste of that for himself on Thursday Night Football in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers’ Safety, Damontae Kazee, lowered his head and brutally crashed into Pittman in a head-to-head collision. The wideout’s head snapped back scarily, and he lay on the gridiron motionless. He was carted off the field and was checked for concussion. Luckily, he cleared it the next day, but this has raised questions about whether the league truly values players’ safety.

Michael Pittman loses memory of the collision

Dov Kleiman took to X to share an interview with Michael Pittman in which he was speaking about the collision and its aftermath. He said that while he didn’t think that the hit was clean or legal, he neither thought that Kazee intended it to happen. He said he didn’t even remember the hit taking place. “I was like, ‘Oh, s**t, what just happened?'”

He also said that the hit was so severe that he was “able to get up and walk,” only because of God’s grace. He did clear the NFL’s concussion protocol, but the team has listed him as “Questionable” for the game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. As for Kazee, he was immediately sidelined from the game and was suspended for the rest of the season without pay. That will amount to a total of $208,000.

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Even though Pittman himself said that he did not want Kazee to be suspended, some are wondering if the league’s player safety policy is even good enough to protect players from such hits.

Is the league doing enough to protect its players?

The league has revealed a worrying statistic. Out of the 32,007 plays this season, only 1.09%, or 350 of them, resulted in fines or faced disciplinary action. In Week 14 alone, the NFL collected over $248,679 in fines. Although the NFL claims that they have a robust set of “game-related rules violations” that may result in “accountability measures“, the number of injuries shows that it has failed to act as a deterrent to players.

Pittman is the leading wideout of the team and had crossed the 1,000-yard milestone before suffering the concussion injury. He has also recorded 99 receptions this season. Will his absence on Sunday in the game against the 6-8 Falcons upset the 8-6 Colts’ record? A loss can also crash their AFC playoff dreams.

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