The NFL has suspended Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for three games without pay for his egregious cheap shot on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence that knocked the Jaguars’ QB out of Sunday’s game with a concussion — and ignited a massive brawl.
Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair Suspended
The league wasted no time in punishing Azeez Al-Shaair for what it deemed “repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship,” announcing its decision in a blistering public condemnation Tuesday morning.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension. In the accompanying new release, Runyan took Al-Shaair to task, not just for his hit on Lawrence, but his broadly cavalier attitude toward player safety.
Runyan wrote to Al-Shaair:
“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.
“Video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide…You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact.
“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. 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.
“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. 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.”
Al-Shaair’s Apology
Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence was a textbook example of what is not allowed in today’s NFL.
On Monday, he distributed a long statement apologizing for his behavior and explaining his mindset at the time.
“I genuinely didn’t see [Lawrence] sliding until it was too late,” he said. “And it all happens in a blink of the eye. To Trevor, I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening.”
Lawrence was sliding during a scramble in the second quarter of Sunday’s game when Al-Shaair launched and hit him in the head with his left forearm. When a quarterback begins his slide, the play is considered over, and he is not to be hit anywhere, but particularly in the head.
Lawrence, whose head bounced off the turf as it was whipped back, remained on the ground for some time and exhibited a fencing posture — an involuntary response to a traumatic brain injury — immediately after the hit.
Lawrence ultimately got to his feet and into a golf cart. Jaguars medical staffers took him into the locker room, where they diagnosed him with a concussion.
Usually accompanying a loss of consciousness, the fencing posture is when the concussed person’s hands and arms extend or flex in an unnatural position, lasting for up to several seconds.
The NFL world became broadly aware of the posture after Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa seized up during a scary concussion he suffered in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals two years ago.
Lawrence will need to clear a five-stage process to return to play. In each of the two times Tagovailoa had a fencing response to a concussion, he missed multiple games.
In the bench-clearing brawl that ensued, Al-Shaair showed no remorse. Quite the opposite. He took off his helmet, flexed, and tried to continue fighting basically until the time he was removed from the field.
When things finally settled down, officials assessed an unnecessary roughness penalty on Al-Shaair and ejected him from the game.