Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended without pay for three games by the NFL on Tuesday for repeated violations of player safety rules following his violent blow to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shair’s punishment was announced by Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations. In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan noted that he has committed several violations in recent seasons due to personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules.
Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a sprained left shoulder, Lawrence scrambled to his left on a second-and-7 play in the second quarter of Houston’s 23-20 victory on Sunday. He started with a slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and unleashed it on the defenseless quarterback.
In his letter to Al-Shaair, Runyan called the hit “unacceptable and a serious violation of the rules of the game.”
“Video shows you hitting the head and neck area of Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down with his feet,” Runyan wrote. “You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a powerful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent while you had time and space to avoid such contact.”
Al-Shaair will appeal the suspension, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.
The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the appeal is pending.
Houston general manager Nick Caserio defended Al-Shaair, saying he doesn’t believe the league uses consistency in imposing penalties like this.
“I probably speak for a lot of teams, not just the Houston Texans, but I think all teams are asking for is consistency in the league,” he said. “And I would honestly say that in this situation there is no consistency at all relative to the level of discipline that is being passed down.”
Caserio pointed to other players who have been sent off this season for illegal hits and who have not been suspended or have only been suspended for one match.
If the suspension is upheld, Al-Shaair will not be eligible to return to Houston’s active roster until after the Christmas Day game against the Baltimore Ravens. Al-Shaair has a base salary of $1.5 million this season, meaning it will cost him around $265,000 if the three-match suspension is upheld.
Lawrence clenched both fists after the blow — movements consistent with what’s called the “fencing response,” which can be common after traumatic brain injuries. He lay on the ground for several minutes when teammates came to his aid and harassed Al-Shaair, which culminated in a brawl.
As Al-Shaair left the field after being sent off, fans started shouting at him. Jaguars veteran guard Brandon Scherff joined in, leading to another altercation with Al-Shair. Texans teammate Will Anderson grabbed Al-Shaair and was escorting him off the field when a fan threw a water bottle, hitting Anderson in the helmet. The fan was later ejected.
Runyan also outlined Al-Shaair’s behavior after the goal when announcing the suspension.
“After the illegal hit, you started a brawl, which escalated when you pulled an opponent to the ground with his face mask,” he wrote. “After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike actions, you removed your helmet and again engaged your opponent as you walked across the field, causing another physical confrontation near the end zone. ”
This is the third time this season that Al-Shaair has been punished by the league. Last week, he was flagged and later fined $11,255 for a late out-of-bounds hit on Titans running back Tony Pollard.
He was fined earlier this year after hitting Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2. That happened during a scuffle that started after his hard shot at quarterback Caleb Williams on the sideline was not flagged.
“Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach and watch it is disturbing and does not reflect the core values of the NFL,” Runyan told Al-Shaair in the letter. “Your continued disregard for the NFL Rules endangers the health and safety of both you and your opponents and will not be tolerated.”
Caserio was outraged by that part of Runyan’s letter.
“The most important thing is the health and safety of the players and the health and well-being of Trevor and hopefully Trevor will be fine,” Caserio said. “But to speak of Azeez’s intention of what he intended to do and some of the comments that were made, quite frankly, it’s shameful. So we are going to support Azeez. We love everything about him. We are happy to have him as part of this team.”
Al-Shaair apologized to Lawrence in a lengthy post on of had. the hit.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Sunday it was a play that “really has nothing to do with our league,” and said Monday the team is considering shutting down Lawrence for the season.
Former Houston Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman was suspended for three games last November for repeatedly violating player safety rules. His suspension was reduced to two matches after an appeal.
Kareem Jackson received a suspension for repeated player safety violations, reduced from four games to two games last year while playing for the Denver Broncos. Later in the season he was suspended again for four games and that suspension was upheld.