Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair gives shocking reaction to NFL ban for vicious hit on Trevor Lawrence

Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair reacted shockingly to the three-game suspension he now faces after his vicious tackle on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday.

“IF YOU WANT ME TO BE YOUR VILLAIN, YOU WILL BE VILLAIN!”, he wrote on X while using a middle finger emoji. ‘SEE YOU SOON…’

The post included the image of Al-Shaair himself, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, the linebacker’s controversial “Free Palestine” cleats, and an unattributed quote.

“It’s beautiful to be rejected, misunderstood, unseen and unprotected by people,” read the caption on Al-Shaair’s post. ‘It teaches you to trust Allah for everything.’

He will now serve his three-game suspension after the NFL ruled to uphold the ban after Al-Shaair’s appeal.

In his letter to Al-Shaair, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan noted that he has committed multiple violations in recent seasons due to personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules. His most egregious victory was a 23-20 win at Jacksonville on Sunday that caused the quarterback’s second concussion in less than a year.

Al-Shair points to the Jacksonville Jaguars bench after a fight and was ejected Sunday

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who was subsequently given a three-game suspension for the illegal tackle

Al-Shaair led with his forearm and helmet as he hit Lawrence after starting his slide. The unsportsmanlike blow left Lawrence in the fencing position – a common response to a traumatic brain injury in which both fists clenched – and he remained on the ground for several minutes as a fight ensued nearby.

Lawrence remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol and was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, likely ending his season.

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 your opponent’s head/neck area while you had time and space to avoid such contact.”

Houston general manager Nick Caserio defended Al-Shaair, saying he doesn’t believe the league has 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 in this situation there is no consistency at all as to the level of discipline that is being passed down.”

Al-Shaair will not be eligible to return to Houston’s active roster until after the Christmas Day game against Baltimore. Al-Shaair has a base salary of $1.5 million this season, meaning it will cost him about $265,000 to miss three games.

The practicing Muslim has also been criticized for protesting the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. As part of the NFL’s ‘My Cause My Cleats’ campaign, the 27-year-old had ‘Free’ written on the outside of his spikes in red and green Palestinian colors.

On the inside of the shoe a cleat read: ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will all return. On the other cleat was written: ‘At least 41,788 Palestinians killed. It is estimated that more than 10,000 people are buried under the rubble. 96,794 injured.”

But most of the controversy surrounding Al-Shaair has focused on the attack and not on his faith.

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 became involved in a brawl, which escalated when you pulled an opponent to the ground by his face mask,” he wrote. “After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike conduct, you removed your helmet and re-engaged with 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 punching 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 said in the letter to Al-Shaair. “Your continued disregard for the NFL rules of the game endangers the health and safety of both you and your opponents and will not be tolerated.”

Al-Shaair received support from Tom Brady of Fox Sports, who sympathized with the linebacker’s predicament during the game.

“The one aspect that I think is very challenging, especially for Trevor Lawrence, no one wants to see anyone get hurt, but it’s also the reality of a very physical sport that we play,” the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback said. The Herd with Colin Cowherd. ‘Defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature. I tried to be aggressive on offense, we tried to block aggressively, and at the same time the defense tried to tackle aggressively.

“I don’t know, there’s an aspect of me where I think the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves. I see Josh Allen leading it a lot, I see Lamar Jackson leading it a lot – and they’re great skills to have. I often wish I had those skills.

‘At the same time, when you run, you put yourself in great danger. And if you do that, I don’t think the responsibility for protecting an offensive quarterback should fall to a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense.’

Brady also pointed out the timing of Lawrence’s slide before Al-Shaair came in with the tackle, suggesting that quarterbacks should also be punished for producing them too late in an effort to protect them in the future.