The referees made the right call on Azeez Al-Shaair on Sunday by ejecting him from the game between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. His brutal hit on Trevor Lawrence was not only uncalled-for, but it was wildly dangerous and one of the dirtier plays that we have seen in the NFL this season.
It remains to be seen if the league will hand down any harsher punishment for the Texans’ linebacker going forward, but given his history of late hits and dirty plays, it should certainly be considered.
Azeez Al-Shaair And His History Of Late And Dirty Hits
One of the more high-profile incidents came during his time as a member of the 49ers. During the 1st quarter of a game against the Buccaneers, Al-Shaair rushed Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, and decided to put a hand around his neck when he arrived in the backfield. No penalty was called, but Brady took exception to the incident, complaining to the referees.
Three other incidents have taken place just this season. In Week 2, his hard hit on the Bears’ Caleb Williams was legal, but perhaps unnecessary as the quarterback was on his way to stepping out of bounds. It caused a sideline scuffle, in which Al-Shaair threw a punch that went unpenalized. He was fined $11,255.
Azeez Al-Shaair try not to be a dirty player challenge (impossible) pic.twitter.com/PI30RkpMr7
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) December 2, 2024
On November 24th, he drew a 15-yard penalty in the Texans’ game against the Titans when he laid a hard hit on Tony Pollard when the running back was clearly two steps onto the sideline. He was again fined, this time for $11,817.
Then of course came the hit on Trevor Lawrence. The incident was clearly the cause of a concussion sustained by Lawrence, and Al-Shaair was immediately ejected from the game.
On Monday morning, Azeez Al-Shaair took to social media to apologize to Lawrence and the rest of the people involved in Sunday’s melee. The Twitter/X post was understandably met with mixed emotions. A heavy fine is likely incoming, and there is a good chance that a suspension will be handed down as well.
Al-Shaair is in his 6th year in the NFL and his playing for his third team. He played for the Titans last season and was the team’s leading tackler. He has played in 10 games for the Texans in 2024, and has 68 combined tackles and 2 sacks.
