Ramon Foster might work for the Tennessee Titans, but his decision to uphold Azeez Al-Shaair’s suspension had no bearing on his loyalty to the AFC South franchise.
Foster, a former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, listened and elected to deny the Houston Texans linebacker’s appeal for his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a virtual hearing on Wednesday.
When asked about the choice to uphold the suspension on his morning show “Ramon, Kayla and Will” on 104.5 FM The Zone in Nashville, Foster declined to talk about the hearing or what transpired after.
“I can’t discuss the case,” Foster said on the show. “I don’t answer to anybody on these cases as it pertains to it.”
On his radio show in Nashville, Ramon Foster declines to discuss his decision to uphold the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension. The process should entail far more transparency than that. https://t.co/8pWS8tRADs
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 5, 2024
Al-Shaair, who previously played for the Titans in 2023, delivered a blow on a second-and-7 hit that knocked Lawrence unconscious. That led to a brawl and the eventual ejection of the sixth-year linebacker, along with Jaguars rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones.
Foster, who faced several penalties for late hits during his playing career, mentioned that the public eye thought there was a perceived bias in his decision given his relationship with the Titans radio staff.
Ramon Foster on his radio show today said he wouldn’t discuss the Azeez Al-Shaair hearing. #Texans
“My job is to see the tape, evaluate the tape, and move on to how I proceed to evaluate the cases. There is no emotion or involvements that goes on behind it.”
He said the NFL…
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) December 5, 2024
“The league has an understanding, the NFLPA has an understanding, and the teams do also as they are one in the same as it goes with this job,” Foster said.
It would make sense that favoritism would be mentioned, especially given the history of the two franchises. Tennessee’s departure from Houston as the Oilers left a bitter taste among local residents and has carried over into a feud beyond fans of the two clubs.
Ramon Foster, notoriously clean player. https://t.co/gVkd0N4yvb pic.twitter.com/8Zm1dQN1nO
— Patrick Storm (@PatrickStormHTX) December 4, 2024
Tennessee recently debuted its alternate Oilers uniform worn in Nashville instead of Houston, thus adding more fuel to the fire. It didn’t help that Al-Shaair was also fined by the league for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard in Week 12’s loss against the Titans at home.
But Foster once again denied any allegiance in the call, stating the decision was based on what’s best for the league’s future.
“My job is to see the tape, evaluate the tape, and move on to how I proceed to evaluate the cases,” Foster said. “There is no emotion or involvements that goes on behind it.”
Al-Shaair, who was third on the team in tackles before the suspension, will return for the season finale road tip against the Titans on Jan. 5 at Nissan Stadium.
