By now, we’ve all seen the vicious hit Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair leveled on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
In an attempt to convert a second-and-7 situation near midfield, Lawrence took off running and then slid near the first down marker as he saw Al-Shaair closing in fast. The NFL recognizes the quarterback sliding as him giving up. No getting up and running if nobody touches you.
Watch Trevor Lawrence immediately after this horrific hit. His right arm suddenly flexes as his left arm simultaneously extends. This is known as the “fencing posture”—an involuntary reflex that occurs after impact in blunt head trauma. It signifies a traumatic brain injury with… pic.twitter.com/Saa8j8cffJ
— Sam Ghali, M.D. (@EM_RESUS) December 1, 2024
Al-Shaair seemed to violate that code, and if he did, there is no room in the game for that. But the sheer speed of the game and how late Lawrence decided to slide make it a little hard to determine. Forget the slow-motion breakdown we keep seeing because that doesn’t tell the full story.
“Have to be smarter when the quarterback is going down. Unfortunate play,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, whose team escaped Jacksonville with a needed 23-20 win. “Not representative of who Azeez is. He’s a smart player, really great leader for us.”
That is probably the overwhelming sentiment of those of us who cover the Texans and have talked with Al-Shaair.
Great guy. Great player. Does things the right way. Dirty player he is not.
None of that mattered when the NFL, as expected took action and suspended Shaair for the next three games.
Of course, all of that got lost on Sunday as the Jaguars players stepped in to immediately defend their quarterback who was lying motionless on the field. Tight end Evan Engram was the first to confront and shove Al-Shaair to the ground.
It wasn’t long before Al-Shaair was engulfed in a sea of aqua-blue jerseys. The Jaguars felt it was a dirty hit and so did the officials who ejected Al-Shaair from the game in the second quarter.
Lawrence also was done for the day, ruled out with a head injury.
“I mean, I saw him sliding and then I saw the hit,” Engram said in explaining his immediate reaction. “It just—honestly, it just took over. I just knew it was wrong; it was a dirty play. And you stick up for your guys, that’s just how it goes.”
Definitely understand and respect.
