Houston's Al-Shaair apologizes for
hit on Jacksonville's Lawrence that led to concussion
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[December 03, 2024]
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair took to X on Monday morning
to apologize to Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence after his violent
blow to the quarterback’s facemask led to him being carted off the
field with a concussion.
Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a sprained
left shoulder, Lawrence scrambled left on a second-and-7 play in the
second quarter of Houston’s 23-20 win on Sunday. He initiated a
slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and unleashed on the
defenseless quarterback.
In the long post, Al-Shaair, who was ejected for the hit, first said
he didn’t see Lawrence sliding until “it was too late” and that it
happened “in the blink of an eye” before saying he was sorry for the
hit.
“To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up
happening,” Al-Shaair wrote. “Before the game we spoke and I told
you how great it was to see you back out on the field and wished you
well. I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I
put on them, especially one that was ruled ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’”
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.
Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that those kind of plays are
difficult for defenders to navigate.
“Unfortunate hit on the quarterback,” Ryans said. “But it’s
two-fold, a lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age, they try to
take advantage of the rule where they slide late and they try to get
an extra yard and now ... a lot of onus is on the defender, right?

“You don’t know what a guy is thinking,” he continued. “You don’t
know if a guy is staying up and he’s continuing to run. You don’t
know, and then you get a late slide and you hit the guy. Unfortunate
that Trevor got hurt. Hope Trevor is OK, but also if we’re sliding,
we have to get down.”
Al-Shaair was ejected for “an illegal hit on the quarterback,
unnecessary, to the neck and head area,” referee Land Clark said in
a pool report Sunday. Jaguars rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones also
was ejected for throwing a punch during the melee.
As Al-Shaair was leaving the field, 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.
Later in his post on X, Al-Shaair said he understood why
Jacksonville's players came to the defense of Lawrence in the brawl
following the hit.
“I can understand you having his back and defending him in a
situation like that,” Al-Shaair wrote.
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) slides in
front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) during the
first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in
Jacksonville, Fla. Lawrence was injured on the play. (AP Photo/John
Raoux)

But Ryans criticized the response of the Jaguars
after the hit.
“Azeez hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts and it turns into
a melee,” Ryans said. “It wasn’t our guys, their team overreacted,
pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sidelines. So that’s
uncalled for on that side.”
Later in his post, Al-Shaair complained about reporters and others
for their commentary about him in the wake of the hit.
“To the rest of the people who I’ve been called every single name in
the book from (to) reporters with their hands ready for a story to
find their villain, to racist and Islamophobic fans and people, you
don’t know heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any
of you,” he wrote. “God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever
been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.”
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Sunday it was a play that ”really
has no business being in our league,” and Ryans said “that’s not
what we’re coaching.”
Last week, Al-Shaair 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.
Al-Shaair, a sixth-year pro, will certainly receive a fine for the
hit on Lawrence and could also be suspended.
At the beginning of his post on X, Al-Shaair said he’s always played
the game hard and that he would never intentionally try to harm
anyone.
“My goal is to hit you as hard as I can and then pray you’re still
able to get up and play the next play,” he wrote. “And when the game
is over go home to your family unharmed because it’s not personal,
it’s just competition! We both are trying to do the same thing which
is provide for our families!”
___
AP Sports Writer Mark Long contributed to this report.
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