Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected from his team's match against the Jaguars for a very violent blow to Trevor Lawrence. As the quarterback slid to the ground, the linebacker hit him in the head with his forearm forward.
Result: concussion for Lawrence, and a huge fight between the two teams, with the Jaguars very upset by the gesture.
According to ESPN, the NFL should suspend Al-Shaair for this action.
I hope they drop a monster suspension on Aziz Al-Shaair… legit tried to knock the head off Trevor Lawrence. As dirty as they come. pic.twitter.com/idoKxh3XNt
— Megs (@Rad_Megss) December 1, 2024
On Monday, Azeez Al-Shaair reacted with a long message on social networks.
“I always played as hard as possible. Never with the objective of harming anyone, and those who know me know that. My goal is to hit you as hard as possible and then I pray that you are able to get up and perform the next action. And when the match is over, come home and see your whole family because it's not personal, just competition! We are both trying to do the same thing, which is feed our family!
I really didn't see him slip until it was too late. And it happens in the blink of an eye. I sincerely apologize to Trevor for what ended up happening.
Before the match we chatted and I told you how great it was to see you back on the pitch (Lawrence was coming back from a shoulder injury, Editor's note) and I wished you the best. I would never want to see a player get injured because of one of my tackles, especially one that is deemed “late” or “superfluous.” »
To his teammates, I can really understand you being there for him and defending him in such a situation. To everyone else who called me names, to the journalists who were willing to find a villain for their stories, to the racist and Islamophobic supporters and others, you don't know my heart or my character, and I don't I have nothing to prove to you. God knows my intentions and those who have been my teammates or my friends know my heart. »
DeMeco Ryans defends Azeez Al-Shaair
If Azeez Al-Shaair decided to play appeasement, his coach was surprisingly more incisive during his press briefing on Monday. DeMeco Ryan almost suggesting that Trevor Lawrence had his share of responsibility.
“ We support Azeez »assured Ryans. “ Of course the hit on the quarterback is unfortunate. But it goes both ways. Many quarterbacks in this day and age try to take advantage of the rules by sliding late to try to gain one more yard.
If you are a defender, we put the onus on the defender. Whether it's when they're on the sideline or whether it's the quarterback, you don't know what a guy is thinking. We don't know if he will stay up and continue running. We don't know. And he slips late and you bump him.
It's unfortunate that Trevor was injured. We hope he is doing well. But if you slip, you have to go to the ground. »
And if Azeez Al-Shaair understands the Jaguars' reaction, his coach does not.
“ Azeez punches the guy, but their bench overreacts, and it becomes a brawl. It wasn't our guys. Their team overreacted. »
