Texans livid at Azeez Al-Shaair suspension as GM slams ‘hypocritical’ NFL for ban on contact amid racism claim

Furious Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has called the NFL “hypocritical” for banning Azeez Al-Shaair from having any contact with the team during his three-game suspension.

Al-Shaair is suspended after his brutal hit on Trevor Lawrence during Houston’s 23-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, which led to a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams.

With Lawrence lying motionless on the field with a concussion, the Texans linebacker had to be restrained during the melee before being ejected from the game.

After announcing his three-game suspension, which will prevent him from having any contact with his team, the NFL cited Al-Shaair’s past violations while claiming he “lacked good sportsmanship and respect for the football game and for all those who play, coach and perform’. enjoy watching it, is disturbing and does not reflect the core values ​​of the NFL.”

“Your continued disregard for the NFL’s rules of the game endangers the health and safety of both you and your opponents and will not be tolerated,” vice president of football operations Jon Runyan concluded in a letter to the player.

However, Caserio fired back at NFL chiefs in a fiery tirade on Tuesday.

The Texas GM first argued that their assessment of Al-Shaair’s behavior “couldn’t be further from the truth” and that “no one respects that,” before accusing the league of hypocrisy.

“If the league says they care about the well-being of their players, and I would say Azeez is probably going through a lot of things at a time like this, we can’t even provide support on many levels,” he fumed. reporters.

‘So it’s a bit hypocritical to say: ‘We want to support the players, but you know what, the organization is not allowed to have contact with him for four weeks.’

‘Okay, what do you want then? [him] to do, just float yourself?’