Week 13 had no shortage of headlines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars. Left tackle Walker Little got a three-year deal, and Trevor Lawrence made his triumphant return to the gridiron after a two-week absence. Unfortunately, both news were overshadowed by a dirty blow Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid on No. 16.
Following the cheap shot, a scuffle ensued on the Jags sideline. Several players were ejected as a result and the NFL must take action into its own hands and suspend Al-Shaair. He deserves it.
Just an ugly sequence after this ugly hit by Azeez Al-Shaair on Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/oRRMQClOvj
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 1, 2024
Late in the second quarter of the Week 13 divisional matchup, Lawrence scrambled and slid to show he was down. Al-Shaair didn't care and still hit him. Rightly, Jaguars right guard Brandon Scherff stood up for his quarterback.
Al-Shaair and Brandon Scherff getting into it. pic.twitter.com/QVjmDxx6gS
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) December 1, 2024
Fans also showed their disapproval by throwing stuff at Al-Shaair.
#Jaguars fans were throwing objects on Azeez Al-Shaair as he left the field: pic.twitter.com/qkcAm5Ywfh https://t.co/a90Z1qTydi
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 1, 2024
After the hit, Lawrence remained on the ground for a bit before being carted off the field. He was ruled out with a concussion not long after.
QB Trevor Lawrence has been ruled out of today's game with a concussion.
— JaguarsPR (@JaguarsPR) December 1, 2024
Following the scuffle, Al-Shaair, along with tight end Evan Engram, and cornerback Jarrian Jones got ejected. What's infuriating is that the Texans linebacker acted as if he was the victim and not the one at fault, as Twitter user Kendra Middleton pointed out.
The hit was heinous, but Azeez Al-Shaair acting like a victim and still fighting afterwards was unfathomable
— Kendra Middleton (@KenniMiddleton) December 1, 2024
The hit earned Al-Shaair widespread scorn from fans and analysts across the NFL community. Former Steelers safety and talking head Ryan Clark held no punches when calling out Al-Shaair, pointing out that he didn't have to dive over Lawrence's head.
That’s bull by Azeez Al-Shaair!! You just dive over the QB’s head when they slide. You make sure they go down but you don’t go to the players helmet like that. I 100% agree with an ejection.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) December 1, 2024
And 100% there’s supposed to be a fight! Jaguars did the right thing.
John McClain, a reporter who's covered the Texans since they were the Houston Oilers, called Al-Shaair's hit the dirtiest he's ever seen in his journalism career. You know it was a dirty shot when a Pro Football Hall-of-Fame voter says as much.
I’ve been covering the NFL for 48 years and I can’t remember a cheap shot worse than what Al-Shaair did to Lawrence. He’ll be lucky to avoid a suspension.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) December 1, 2024
Heck, even Al-Shaair's teammates believe he crossed the line.
Trevor Lawrence carted off the field after taking a violent head shot and displaying the “fencing position” indicative of a traumatic brain injury.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 1, 2024
The hit was so bad, even Texans players were in shock. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/xTaznwLsE8
As you can see, the reaction following Al-Shaair's hit hasn't been positive. This begs the question, what kind of punishment should the league lay on him?
The NFL must suspend Azeez Al-Shaair after the hit on Trevor Lawrence
Of course, analysts and fans don't dictate how the NFL operates. Otherwise, you would see the league fix plenty of the egregious calls that are made week in and week out. That said, Azeez Al-Shaair deserves to be suspended, preferably for the remainder of the season. Leaving aside that he went after a defenseless player, he's a repeated offender.
As insider Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports noted, this isn't the first time that he laid a late hit on a quarterback this season. Back in Week 2, he was responsible for a cheap shot on rookie signal-caller Caleb Williams.
Azeez Al-Sharir also had this hit on Caleb Williams earlier in the year, and the NFL is likely to factor that in when they decide on discipline this week.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 1, 2024
pic.twitter.com/vsq91YOlb2
pic.twitter.com/9tzTzcXnRp
However you look at it, Al-Shaair's actions are inexcusable. It's understandable that players want to play until the whistle blows, but he went too far. Think about it, what was the benefit of taking an oposing player out of the game? Sure, they're rivals, but there's no excuse for showing that kind of disrespect toward the game and opponents.
The bottom line is that there's no place for Al-Shaair's behavior, and the NFL must act swiftly.