Falcons safety Damontae Kazee was ejected from Sunday’s victory over the Panthers for a hit to the head of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton while Newton was sliding at the end of a running play in the second quarter.
It looked like Kazee had time to go over the top of Newton rather than deliver a blow that sent Newton to the sideline for an evaluation with the training staff. Newton did not miss a snap as the officials sorted out the penalties -- Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith was flagged for retaliating against Kazee -- and said the hit “looked worse” than it felt.
In terms of the ejection, Newton also said that “what needed to happen, happened.”
“There’s no fit for cheap shots like that,” Newton said, via the Charlotte Observer. “But at the end of the day, I can’t blame him. He’s playing as hard as he can, I’m playing as hard as I can. That’s what this game brings.”
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after the game that he didn’t have a view of the play during the game and had not seen the replay, but that “everybody supported the call” and that the team had work to do to make sure players hit the right way.