Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair will serve his three-game suspension after the NFL ruled 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 had multiple offenses for personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations in recent seasons.
His most egregious one came in a 23-20 win at Jacksonville on Sunday, which caused the quarterback’s second concussion in less than a year.
Al-Shaair led with his forearm and helmet while hitting Lawrence after he started his slide. The unsportsmanlike blow left Lawrence in the fencing position – a common response to a traumatic brain injury in which both fists clench – and he stayed on the ground for several minutes while a melee ensued 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 will serve his three-game suspension
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) slides down as Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) charges forward during Sunday’s game in Florida
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In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan called the hit ‘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,’ Runyan wrote. ‘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.’
Houston general manager Nick Caserio defended Al-Shaair and said he doesn´t believe the league is using consistency in issuing punishments such as these.
‘I probably speak for a lot of teams, not only the Houston Texans, but I think that´s all teams ask for is consistency from the league,’ he said. ‘And I´d say in this situation, quite frankly, there´s no consistency at all relative to the level of discipline that´s been handed down.’
Al-Shaair won´t 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 about $265,000 to miss three games.
Lawrence clenched both fists after the hit – movements consistent with what´s referred to as the ‘fencing response,’ which can be common after a traumatic brain injury. He was on the ground for several minutes as teammates came to his defense and mobbed Al-Shaair in what escalated into a brawl.
As Al-Shaair was leaving the field after being ejected, fans started screaming at him. Jaguars veteran guard Brandon Scherff joined in, prompting 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 and hit Anderson in the helmet. The fan was later ejected.
Azeez Al-Shaair has apologized over the tackle despite having to be held back by teammates
Players from the Texans and Jaguars brawled after Lawrence was left motionless on the field
Brady argued that Lawrence put himself in danger before he was wiped out by Al-Shaair
Runyan also outlined Al-Shaair´s behavior after the hit in announcing the suspension.
‘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,’ he wrote. ‘After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike acts, you removed your helmet and re-engaged with your opponent while walking down and across the field, which started another physical confrontation near the end zone.’
This is the third time this season Al-Shaair has been punished by the league. Last week, he was flagged and later fined $11,255 for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard.
He was fined earlier this year after he punched Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2. That occurred during a scuffle that started after his hard shot on quarterback Caleb Williams near the sideline wasn´t flagged.
‘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,’ Runyan told Al-Shaair in the letter. ‘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 did get support from Fox Sports’ Tom Brady, who sympathized with the linebacker’s predicament on the play.
‘The only aspect that I think is very challenging, and certainly for Trevor Lawrence, nobody wants to see anybody get hurt but it is also the reality of a very physical sport that we play,’ the seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. ‘Defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature. I was trying to be aggressive on offense, we tried to block aggressively, and at the same time the defense tries to tackle aggressively.
‘I don’t know, there’s an aspect to me that I think the 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 skillset to have. A lot of times I wish I had that skillset.
‘At the same time, when you run you put yourself in a lot of danger. And when you do that I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense.’
Brady also pointed to the timing of Lawrence’s slide before Al-Shaair came in with the tackle, suggesting quarterbacks should also be penalized for producing them too late in an effort to protect them going forward.
