(New York) Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended three games without pay for his illegal tackle on Trevor Lawrence’s head Tuesday morning, resulting in a concussion at Jaguars quarterback of Jacksonville.
Posted at 9:43 a.m.
Updated at 11:11 a.m.
The sanction imposed on Al-Shaair was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan. In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan pointed out that he has been a repeat offender in this regard for several seasons.
Lawrence, returning to action after missing two games with a strained left shoulder, snuck left with his team in a second-down, seven-yard situation in the second quarter. ‘a match which ended 23-20 in favor of the Texans on Sunday. He then attempted a slide, just as Al-Shaair dove towards him at full speed.
Lawrence clenched his fists immediately after the tackle – a telltale sign of a head injury, in this case a concussion. He remained lying on the ground for many minutes, while his teammates came to his defense and to attack Al-Shaair.
In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan called the tackle “unacceptable and a serious violation of the rules of the game.”
“The video demonstrates that you targeted the head/neck area of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly initiated a sliding maneuver on the ground,” Runyan wrote. You dove with your forearm and helmet and initiated a violent impact into your opponent’s head/neck area, despite having the time and space necessary to avoid such contact. »
Al-Shaair has indicated it will contest the sanction, according to a person familiar with the decision.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to speak with The Associated Press because the appeal process is ongoing.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio defended Al-Shaair and said he believes the league is inconsistent in handing out sanctions like this.
“I probably speak for a lot of teams, not just the Houston Texans, but I think all teams want to see more consistency in the league,” he said. And I would say that, in this situation, there is absolutely no consistency in the severity of the sanction that was imposed.”
Caserio recalled that many other players who were sent off for illegal tackles earlier this season were not suspended, or only received one game suspension.
If the suspension is upheld, then Al-Shaair will not be able to return to action until the Christmas Day game against the Baltimore Ravens. Al-Shaair has a base salary of US$1.5 million, meaning this sanction, if upheld, will cost him $265,000.
Al-Shaair was expelled from the match “for illegal tackling against a quarter, excessive, in the neck and head region,” referee Land Clark said in a press release on Sunday. Jaguars rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones was also ejected for throwing a punch during the scrimmage.
Shortly after the game, Al-Shaair told X that he understood why Jaguars players came to Lawrence’s defense after his tackle.
“I understand why you came to his defense and tried to defend him in a situation like this,” he said.
Then, Al-Shaair apologized to Lawrence in the lengthy message published on X on Monday morning.
The Texans linebacker, who was ejected from the game for his action, initially said he didn’t realize Lawrence was about to slide “until it was too late.” , before adding that the entire sequence took place “in a fraction of a second”. He added that he was sorry for making the tackle.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to Trevor for what happened,” Al-Shaair wrote. We spoke with the meeting and I told you that I was very happy to see that you were back playing, and I wished you good luck. I never tackle an opponent with the aim of injuring him, especially if this tackle is considered “late” or “excessive”. »
Last week, Al-Shaair was penalized and fined US$11,255 for a late out-of-bounds tackle on Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard.
He was also punished earlier this year after punching Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sidelines during the second week of NFL action. This incident occurred during a scrimmage, after a hard hit on quarterback Caleb Williams near the sidelines went under the radar.
