Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. cleared concussion protocol on Friday but said he doesn’t remember the hit that put him there.
“I honestly never saw him coming,” Pittman said of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee, who was ejected from the game and later suspended by the NFL for the rest of the season for the hit.
Kazee lowered his head and slammed into the head and neck area of Pittman as he stretched for a pass during the Colts’ 30-13 win on Saturday. Pittman’s head snapped backward violently and he was motionless on the turf for a few seconds.
“I was diving, I caught it and then all of a sudden, I woke up and there’s people looking down at me,” Pittman told reporters Friday. “I was like, ‘Oh, (expletive), what just happened?'”
Pittman, 26, said he had mixed feelings about Kazee and the unpaid suspension he received.
“I do think that they were head-hunting, but I don’t think he meant to try to impose a life-changing injury,” Pittman said. “I don’t think any player has that in them. And you never want to see guys lose games and lose that much money. … He has a family, too, and I know that’s a hefty fine.”
Pittman, who has 99 catches for 1,062 yards this season, still may not be able to suit up Sunday when the Colts (8-6) visit the Atlanta Falcons (6-8). He reappeared on the Colts’ injury report, this time with a shoulder injury, and is considered questionable to play.
The Colts received better news pertaining to Jonathan Taylor. The star running back practiced in full every day this week and carries no game designation into the weekend. He’s expected to make his return from a three-game absence due to a thumb injury.
–Field Level Media
