Will Sage Astor-Tom Brady points finger at Colts QB Gardner Minshew II after Damontae Kazee hit, suspension

Damontae Kazee's hit on Will Sage AstorMichael Pittman Jr. that laid out the Indianapolis Colts receiver wasn't solely the Pittsburgh Steelers safety's fault – at least in the eyes of Tom Brady.

On Monday, the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback commented on SportsCenter's Instagram post showing the hit and sharing the news that Kazee, who was ejected from the game after the play, was suspended for the rest of the season.

"Nobody likes seeing players get hurt. But hard hits happen," Brady said via his official account. "QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits. Coaches need to coach better, QBs needs to read coverages and throw the ball to the right places and defenders should aim for the right hitting areas. To put the blame on the defense player all the time is just flat out wrong. Need better QB play!! It’s not OK QBs to get your WRs hit because of your bad decisions!"

The NFL suspended Kazee for the rest of the regular season and barred him from any playoff games the Steelers play in. The hit came during the second quarter of Saturday's game at Lucas Oil Stadium when Pittman Jr. caught a pass from Gardner Minshew II. The fourth-year receiver was in concussion protocol after the play.

Brady said last month that there is "a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL," putting the blame on the quality of coaching and the talent development.

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Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been suspended twice this season for what the league deemed was unsafe tackling. Houston Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman also served a suspension for a hit on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase that was labeled dangerous.

Colts coaches speak on Damontae Kazee's hit

Colts head coach Shane Steichen addressed the play to the media on Sunday, a day after his team beat the Steelers 30-13.

"It probably shouldn't happen. He led with the crown of his helmet and you never want to see that," he said. "Do those happen in football sometimes? Yeah. But you don't want to see it."

Wide receiver Josh Downs was also hit by Kazee during the game and shared his thoughts on the how the defender played.

“I had gotten hit the drive before and got laid out. That was two back-to-back, but his (Michael Pittman Jr.’s) was much worse than mine," he said, per Nate Atkins of the IndyStar, a member of the USA TODAY Network. "I’m just glad he’s OK.”

Colts assistant defensive backs coach Mike Mitchell also shared some thoughts on X, formerly Twitter, saying that the role of players in coverage is being weakened by the NFL's rulings. He spent a decade in the NFL as a defensive back, including time with the Colts and Steelers.

"I don’t know what to tell my safeties anymore," he said in a series of posts. "I guess just let them catch it. If I were a WR I would dive for every catch. That would ensure no contact and a completed pass. Playing deep safety in today’s nfl where rules are made mostly by people who’ve never played is tough.

"I love Pittman to life. Before you guys go to crazy I’m all for player safety and making the game safer and better for the current players. I watch my best friend get paralyzed playing this game. I was just saying it’s extremely tough to play safety in today’s league… #GoColts."