(HOUSTON) — The NFL has suspended Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for three games without pay after he delivered a devastating and illegal hit to the head of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during a game Sunday as the signal caller was sliding to the turf.
Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, announced the suspension on Monday and slammed Al-Shaair for “your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football.”
Besides the violent hit to Lawrence, Runyon said the decision to suspend Al-Shaair was based on repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship.
“During your game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 1, with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers unacceptable and a serious violation of the playing rules,” Runyon wrote in a letter to Al-Shaair.
Al-Shaair signed a three-year, $34 million contract in the offseason. The loss of pay for three games means Al-Shaair could lose up to $2 million, or roughly $666,000 per game.
The video showed Lawrence scrambling out of the pocket and running six yards downfield before taking a feet-first slide. The quarterback’s knee was already on the turf when the 27-year-old Al-Shaair laid him out with a blow to the head with his left forearm that was covered in a brace.
Runyan said Lawrence “clearly goes down in a feet-first slide” when Al-Shaair hit him, leading with his forearm and helmet. Runyan said Al-Shaair “had time and space to avoid such contact.”
The hit sent Lawrence backward, causing the back of his helmet to hit the turf hard. As Lawrence lay on the field at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium, his arms appeared to be in what is called a “fencing posture,” an involuntary position associated with a brain injury.
As Lawrence stayed on the ground, a teammate, Evan Engram, retaliated against Al-Shaair, sparking the first of two fights between the teams.
When the dust settled, Al-Shaair was ejected from the game for making the illegal hit around the quarterback’s head and neck area. Engram was assessed a personal foul penalty.
“After the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a brawl, which you escalated when you pulled an opponent down to the ground by his facemask,” Runyon said in his letter to Al-Shaair. “After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike acts, you removed your helmet and reengaged with your opponent while walking down and across the field, which started another physical confrontation near the end zone.”
Lawrence suffered a concussion and had to be carted off the field. He didn’t return to the game, which the Texans ended up winning 23-20.
“Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL,” Runyon wrote to Al-Shaair. “Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated.”
Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, Al-Shaair has a right to appeal the suspension, but it was not immediately clear if he will do that.
In a post-game press conference Sunday, Jaguars coach Doug Peterson called the hit an “unfortunate play.”
“It’s a play that nobody wants to see in our league, obviously, because you see what happens after the fact and it just escalates,” Peterson said.
On Monday, Al-Shaair claimed in a social media post that he “genuinely didn’t see him [Lawrence] sliding until it was too late.”
“To Trevor, I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening,” Al-Shaair wrote.
Al-Shaair went on, “I’ve always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone and anybody that knows me knows that. My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you’re still able to get up and play the next play.”
Al-Shaair also said that since the on-field episode, he has been “called every single name in the book from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villain to racist and Islamophobic fans and people.”
“You don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you,” Al-Shaair wrote. “God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.”
The 25-year-old Lawrence posted a message on the social media site X on Monday, saying he was “feeling better.”
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me,” Lawrence wrote. “I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all.”
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