Last year, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid a vicious hit on Trevor Lawrence that sent him to the concussion protocol and effectively ended his season. You could make the case that it was the lowest point of what turned out to be a dreadful season for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Looking back, that Al-Shaiir knocked Lawrence out shouldn't have come as a surprise. After all, he had a history of being a dirty player. Fast forward to 2025, and rookie quarterback Cam Ward just experienced what Lawrence went through last season.
Cam Ward just showed that he hasn't changed his dirty ways
Football is a violent sport. Make no mistake about it, but that doesn't mean players shouldn't abide by rules. That's why it's baffling to see Azeez Al-Shaair cross the line once and again.
In the Houston Texans' Week 4 beatdown of the Tennessee Titans, Al-Shaair delivered a late blow on Cam Ward's helmet.
Refs missed this blatant late/dirty hit on #Titans QB Cam Ward.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) September 28, 2025
Noted dirty player Azeez Al-Shaair. Incredible this wasn't called. pic.twitter.com/1mW8NpJXSJ
If you watched the clip, you could see that there was no reason for Al-Shaair to go for the helmet. Sure, he was going at full speed, but if he was trying to bat the pass, he should've raised his arms. Simply put, the player who named himself the Joker is leaving no doubt that he's a supervillain.
Related: The Jags just watched the Texans make their O-Line worse
The NFL needs to once again suspend Azeez Al-Shaair
Before Azeez Al-Shaair knocked Trevor Lawrence in 2024, he was fined twice: First for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard and earlier for punching Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson. Now, you can add the blow to Cam Ward to his long list of incidents the past two years.
It looks like the three-game suspension or docking his pay hasn't worked, so maybe the league should strongly consider suspending him indefinitely, like they did with Vontaze Burfict in the late 2010s.
The Jaguars would love to see Azeez Al-Shaair get suspended
After the Azeez Al-Shaair debacle, head coach DeMeco Ryans suggested that Trevor Lawrence was at fault for putting himself at risk. And while it's commendable to see him go bat for his player, pinning the blame on the player who got hurt was definitely a choice.
Against the Titans, Al-Shaair proved that he hasn't changed one bit, and the NFL must step in and do something about it. Otherwise, he won't stop anytime soon.