Several former NFL players have criticized Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s hit against Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel is more on the side of his former teammate.
Samuel recently on his podcast, said that Al-Shaair isn’t the type of player to act with malice while on the field. The hit seemed to be a bang-bang play and far from the perceived character that’s currently being painted about his on-field demeanor.
The two were rookies entering San Francisco in 2019 and shared a locker room for four seasons before Al-Shaair left in free agency following the 2022 campaign.
“I know Azeez very well. He’s one of my brothers, for sure. I talked to him afterward and it wasn’t intentional,” Samuel said.
“That clip doesn’t show who he is as a person. If I’m him, and as you’ve seen, he put out an apology to Trevor Lawrence. He apologized to everybody. That kind of shows the person he really is. At the end of the day, he’s not trying to take anybody out. He’s trying to play the way that he was always been taught to play it.
“If I’m him in that situation as I’m getting up and somebody is beating on the back of my head, it’s like, ‘I got to get in defense mode.’ With his apology and me knowing him personally and knowing it wasn’t intentional, I just think 3-games is a little much.”
🗣️ “I know Azeez very well.. it wasn’t intentional.. I know him on a personal level. He played here for 4 years.. At practice we had him, Fred [Warner], and [Dre] Greenlaw- 3 one of the hardest hitters I’ve ever seen in person, played against for sure. And that’s just what we… pic.twitter.com/LY5xT7LWAA
— sidelinesarah (@sidelinesarah) December 8, 2024
Samuel did defend Lawrence, who left the game with a concussion, and the actions of his teammates came to his defense. Even if Al-Shaair was genuinely trying to make a clean hit, anyone who hit his quarterback would be put in line.
“If you hit my quarterback like that, it’s up. I’m crashing, 100%, no question,” Samuel said. “I get that part.”
Samuel also mentioned that defensive players often receive stricter suspension ramifications compared to offensive players who deliver similar hits against opposing players.
“If it was me, would you suspend me for three games?” Samuel asked. “If that was [Baltimore Ravens running back] Derrick Henry, would he be suspended for three games? I think it’s more so about protecting the quarterbacks.”
Al-Shaair, who signed a three-year deal this offseason with the Texans, will be eligible to return in Week 18’s season finale against the Tennessee Titans.
The Texans return to NRG Stadium to take on the Miami Dolphins this Sunday at noon CT.
