Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair will serve his three-game suspension after the NFL decided to uphold the ban following his controversial hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Ramon Foster, one of the arbitrators jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA to hear the case, announced the decision Wednesday following Al-Shaair’s appeal.
Al-Shaair’s punishment was announced Tuesday by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan. In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan noted that he has committed multiple infractions for personal fouls and rule violations related to sportsmanship in recent seasons.
His most egregious came in a 23-20 win at Jacksonville on Sunday, which resulted in the quarterback’s second concussion in less than a year.
Al-Shaair led with his forearm and helmet as he hit Lawrence after he began to slide. The unsportsmanlike hit left Lawrence in a fencing position, a common response to a traumatic brain injury in which both fists are clenched, and he remained on the ground for several minutes as a melee occurred nearby.
Lawrence remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, likely ending his season.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to serve three-game suspension
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) slides down as Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) advances during Sunday’s game in Florida.
In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan called the hit “unacceptable and a serious violation of the rules of the game.”
“The video shows you hitting the head and neck area of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly falls into a feet-first slide,” Runyan wrote. “You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a strong blow to your opponent’s head/neck area when you had time and space to avoid such contact.”
Houston general manager Nick Caserio defended Al-Shaair and said he doesn’t believe the league is being consistent in handing out punishments like these.
“I probably speak for a lot of teams, not just the Houston Texans, but I think the one thing teams are asking for is consistency from the league,” he said. “And I would say that in this situation, frankly, there is no consistency in relation to the level of discipline that has been conveyed.”
Al-Shaair will not be eligible to return to Houston’s active roster until after the team’s Christmas Day game against Baltimore. Al-Shaair has a base salary of $1.5 million this season, meaning it will cost him around $265,000 to miss three games.
Lawrence clenched both fists after the blow, movements consistent with what is known as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury. He was on the ground for several minutes while his teammates came to his defense and harassed Al-Shaair, which led to a fight.
As Al-Shaair left the field after being sent off, the fans began to shout at him. Jaguars veteran guard Brandon Scherff joined in, leading to another altercation with Al-Shaair.
Texans teammate Will Anderson grabbed Al-Shaair and was escorting him off the field when a fan threw a water bottle, hitting Anderson in the helmet. The ventilator was subsequently expelled.
Azeez Al-Shaair apologized for the tackle even though his teammates held him back
Texans and Jaguars players got into a fight after Lawrence lay motionless on the field
Brady argued that Lawrence put himself in danger before being annihilated by Al-Shaair.
Runyan also described Al-Shaair’s behavior after the coup when announcing the suspension.
“After the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a fight, which escalated when you knocked an opponent to the ground by his mask,” he wrote. “After the referee announced that he was disqualified for the hit and his unsportsmanlike acts, he removed his helmet and again confronted his opponent as he walked down the field, initiating another physical confrontation near the end zone.”
This is the third time this season that Al-Shaair has been punished by the league. Last week, he was penalized and then fined $11,255 for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard.
He was fined earlier this year after hitting Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2. That occurred during a fight that began after his hard shot at quarterback Caleb Williams near the sideline. was not marked.
“Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, train and enjoy watching it is concerning and does not reflect the core values of the NFL,” Runyan told Al-Shaair in the letter. “His continued disregard for NFL rules of the game endangers his health and safety and that of his opponents and will not be tolerated.”
Al-Shaair received support from Fox Sports’ Tom Brady, who sympathized with the linebacker’s plight on the play.
“The one aspect that I think is very challenging, and certainly for Trevor Lawrence, no one wants to see anyone hurt, but it’s also the reality of a very physical sport that we play,” the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback said. The Pack with Colin Cowherd. ‘Defensive players have to be aggressive. That is its nature. I tried to be aggressive on offense, we try to block aggressively and at the same time the defense tries to attack aggressively.
‘I don’t know, there’s an aspect of me that I think quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves. I see Josh Allen run it a lot, I see Lamar Jackson run it a lot, and it’s a great skill set. Many times I wish I had those skills.
‘At the same time, when you run you put yourself in great danger. And when you do that, I don’t think the responsibility of protecting an offensive quarterback who is running should fall on a defensive player. “I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense.”
Brady also pointed out the timing of Lawrence’s slide before Al-Shaair came in with the tackle, suggesting that quarterbacks should also be penalized for producing them too late in an effort to protect them in the future.