Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair has expressed his regret to Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence after his aggressive tackle forced the quarterback out of Sunday's game due to a concussion.
Lawrence had returned after missing two games due to injury when he moved left in the second quarter of Houston's 23-20 game. He started to slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and struck the vulnerable quarterback. In a post on X on Monday, Al-Shaair, who was ejected for the hit, mentioned that he didn't notice Lawrence sliding until 'it was too late' and that the incident occurred 'in the blink of an eye'. 'To Trevor, I sincerely apologize for what happened,' Al-Shaair wrote. 'Before the game, we talked and I told you how great it was to see you back on the field and wished you well. I would never want to see any player injured because of a hit I made, especially one that was deemed 'late' or 'unnecessary'.'
Lawrence clenched his fists after the hit, a reaction consistent with the 'fencing response,' which is typical after a traumatic brain injury. He lay on the ground for several minutes as teammates came to his aid and confronted Al-Shaair. Al-Shaair was ejected for 'an illegal hit on the quarterback, unnecessary, to the neck and head area,' according to referee Land Clark after the game. The Jaguars' rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones was also ejected for throwing a punch during the scuffle.
As Al-Shaair left the field, fans booed him. Jaguars veteran guard Brandon Scherff joined in, leading to another altercation with Al-Shaair. Texans teammate Will Anderson escorted Al-Shaair off the field when a fan threw a water bottle, hitting Anderson in the helmet. The fan was subsequently ejected.
Al-Shaair acknowledged why Jacksonville's players defended Lawrence. 'I can understand you having his back and defending him in a situation like that,' Al-Shaair wrote in his X post. However, he criticized reporters and others for their handling of the incident. 'To the rest of the people who have called me every name in the book from reporters eager 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,' 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 stated on Sunday that it was a play 'that really has no business being in our league,' and Houston coach DeMeco 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 also fined earlier this year after punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2. That incident 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 likely face a fine for the hit on Lawrence and could also be suspended.
At the start of his post on X, Al-Shaair emphasized 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!'
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