Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair receives hefty punishment from NFL

There was a dark cloud hanging over the Houston Texans win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. While the Texans were thrilled to get to 8-5 before their bye week, there was a play they wished never happened.

Late in the second quarter, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was in pursuit of Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence who escaped the pocket and attempted to run for a first down. Lawrence saw Al-Shaair closing in, so he began to slide.

Al-Shaair didn't pull up as Lawrence went down and the two collided, with the linebacker hitting him in the head. It was an unneccesarily hard hit and resulted in Lawrence being carted off the field with a head injury.

A brawl also ensued, leading to multiple ejections. There were reports that the NFL would fine Al-Shaair with a possible suspension. Now on Tuesday, the league has handed down its punishment.

Azeez Al-Shaair hit with suspension by NFL

The NFL decided to come down hard on Al-Shaair, hitting him with a three-game suspension.

They cited past issues with the linebacker in their suspension. Al-Shaair was fined for a hit on Roschon Johnson in Week 2 and also riled up the Bears sideline when he hit Caleb Williams out of bounds.

Azeez Al-Shaair

After the game, Al-Shaair remained silent and elected to skip media sessions. The next day, he took to social media and offered an apology to Lawrence while also trying to explain his intentions during the play.

Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game that they don't teach players to hit the way Al-Shaair did, while adding that he had to be smarter. He also said this play wasn't representative of who he is as a person.