Texans defender reported having 'difficult time' after being punished for violent tackle on Trevor Lawrence
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair revealed he went through a “difficult time” and even considered retiring from the NFL after being suspended for a violent tackle that left Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence with a concussion.
Al-Shaair spoke about the incident for the first time since his suspension on Wednesday, December 1.
“Whatever someone might think when they hear someone say they’re in a difficult moment—I was truly in the hardest situation I could imagine,” Azeez Al-Shaair said. “It was hard to picture myself playing football again.”
The linebacker recounted feeling extreme sadness following the incident, spending at least five days locked in his room. “It was a blur. I didn’t eat anything. I didn’t go anywhere,” he admitted.
The reckless play occurred during Week 13 in a game between the Texans and Jaguars. On a second-and-seven play, Lawrence scrambled to gain a first down and began sliding to the ground when Azeez Al-Shaair struck him forcefully in the head.
The impact left Lawrence immobilized and clenching both wrists—clear signs of a concussion. He lay on the field for several minutes before leaving the game and being diagnosed with a concussion. Al-Shaair was later involved in an altercation with Jaguars players and was ejected from the game.
Following the incident, the NFL suspended Al-Shaair for three games. In a statement, NFL Vice President of Operations Jon Runyan deemed the play “unacceptable” and highlighted Al-Shaair’s “continued disregard for the rules of the game” as a serious issue the league would not tolerate.
On Wednesday, Azeez Al-Shaair acknowledged the suspension but took issue with how he was characterized in Runyan’s statement. According to the linebacker, the statement referred specifically to his behavior during the Week 13 game, not his entire career.
“I made a mistake, and the reason why he [Runyan] wrote something like that, which was taken out of context as an error, is because I did something that obviously wasn’t right—taking off my helmet and starting a fight. That wasn’t right,” Al-Shaair said. “But regarding everything before that, I stand by the fact that I didn’t intend to hurt him [Lawrence].”
The week after the game against the Jaguars, Al-Shaair posted an apology on social media directed at the quarterback.
The linebacker shared that messages of encouragement helped him navigate the tough period. He specifically mentioned letters from children at a foster home in Tennessee he had visited in 2023 while playing for the Tennessee Titans. After his suspension, he returned to visit the same foster home.
“I had so many people saying negative things about me. Seeing people happy to see me and appreciative of my presence helped me get back to normal,” said Al-Shaair.
After serving his suspension, Al-Shaair is eligible to return to the field in Week 18 when the Texans face the Titans. The Texans have already secured the AFC South title and a spot in the NFL postseason.
Photo Credit : Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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