Arik Armstead makes head-turning remarks about Azeez Al-Shaair after Jaguars scuffle

The sideline brawl between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans and its aftermath has dominated the NFL discourse. In the aftermath of the scuffle, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair got a three-game suspension while Trevor Lawrence has landed on injured reserve.

While nobody batted an eye when Al-Shaair got the suspension, he raised eyebrows when said on Twitter he was going full supervillain. Many people disapprove of the message, but Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead was among those who liked the post.

This was odd because Armstead's teammate got knocked out of the game. On the other hand, he and Al-Shaair also spent four years together with the San Francisco 49ers, so it made sense why he would show support that said, liking that post in particular was a puzzling choice. In the interest of transparency, the former Oregon Duck talked about his reasons.

"I saw people talking about me like an Azeez post. I wanted to address that because just what everyone has their opinions," Armstead told reporters. "First off, I love Trevor. He's a great teammate, great player, great person, and what happened seeing him getting injured was terrible. We never want to see that happen to our team and yours, and also to Aziz is a great friend of mine. We were locker mates for four years, right next to each other."

Armstead continued, "We have a great relationship as well, too. And so it was a weird situation for me, for sure, seeing my teammate get injured. But also, a friend of mine being in a situation like that, and he was definitely in the wrong, and made a bang-bang play that you wish you could have back. But to see the ridicule and him being ostracized the way he is and the remarks that people are making about him is also terrible. And I feel like I can support my great teammate, Trevor, and also, I can support a friend in a rough situation, when people are being racist towards him, a lot of hateful things being said about him."

"I know his character. He's a good dude. And you know, I talked to him and told him that what he did was, was wrong, or he made a mistake. But that's what happens when you're sometimes in football games. So just wanted to address that first that, I spoke with both of them. I spoke with Trevor as well, too. If you saw the like, or whatever, people were talking about, and me and him spoke about it. Me and him are good as well, too. He completely understands it. Have a conversation and check on him too and see how he was doing."

After Al-Shaair laid the hit that knocked Lawrence out of the game, a brawl on the sidelines ensued. The linebacker and Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones got disqualified for the game. Texas head coach DeMeco Ryans told the local media that he doesn't think his player did anything wrong and believes Jacksonville escalated the situation, arguing that blew the whole thing out of proportion.

On the other hand, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was questioned for his inaction, but he thinks the team reacted well, pointing out that they weren't planning on taking anyone out or retaliating.

Arik Armstead has a point about the whole ordeal; liking the post was odd

All things considered, Arik Armstead made some valid points. Apart from saying that Azeez Al-Shaair's actions were wrong, he was right to show support for his former teammate. Similarly, people who threatened Azeez Al-Shaair for his actions or his religious beliefs should be condemned. That said, the veteran defensive lineman didn't like a random post, he chose the one where the Houston Texans linebacker talks about being pushed to become a villain.

Armstead can do whatever he wants, and that includes supporting Al-Shaair, but the linebacker is no victim. He laid a dirty hit on Trevor Lawrence and is facing the consequences for it. It's as simple as that. The linebacker shouldn't expect a pat on the back or empathy for taking out an opposing player.

In the end, though, this situation is seemingly coming to an end. Hopefully, Trevor Lawrence will be 100 percent, and Azeez Al-Shaair can reflect on why he earned widespread scorn.

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