(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.
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.
The latter 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.
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