The NFL and the NFL Players Association confirmed Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s three-game suspension without pay for repeatedly breaking player safety rules after his harsh hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence suffered a concussion and is now on injured reserve.
Ramon Foster, a hearing officer appointed by both the league and the players’ union, made the ruling on Wednesday. NFL vice president Jon Runyan had announced the suspension on Tuesday. Runyan’s letter to Al-Shaair pointed out that he had several past violations for personal fouls and unsportsmanlike behavior.
The most serious offense happened in a 23-20 victory over Jacksonville on Sunday. Lawrence, back as the starter after missing two games due to a shoulder injury, was scrambling in the second quarter and preparing to slide. However, Al-Shaair raised his forearm and hit the unprotected quarterback.
In his letter, Runyan called the hit “unacceptable and a serious violation of the playing rules.” He wrote, “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.”
Houston general manager Nick Caserio defended Al-Shaair and stated that the league lacks consistency in handing out punishments. He said, “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.
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 until after the Texans’ Christmas Day game against Baltimore. He has a base salary of $1.5 million this season, meaning missing three games will cost him approximately $265,000.
After the hit, Lawrence clenched both fists, which is often seen in cases of brain injury, known as the “fencing response.” He remained on the ground for a few minutes as his teammates defended him and confronted Al-Shaair, leading to a fight.
As Al-Shaair was leaving the field following his ejection, fans yelled at him. Jaguars veteran guard Brandon Scherff joined in, leading to another confrontation. Texans teammate Will Anderson tried to escort Al-Shaair off the field when a fan threw a water bottle, hitting Anderson’s helmet. The fan was ejected.
Runyan also noted Al-Shaair’s behavior after the illegal 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 that Al-Shaair has been punished. Last week, he was penalized and fined $11,255 for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard. Earlier this year, he was fined for punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2 after a scuffle that followed a hard shot on quarterback Caleb Williams, which wasn’t flagged.
Runyan told Al-Shaair in his letter, “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.”
