JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans took issue with how linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been treated in the aftermath of his violent hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, saying that Jacksonville players “overreacted” to the play on Sunday.
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Al-Shaair was ejected after his hit on a sliding Lawrence that left the Jaguars star lying on the field with a concussion in Houston’s 23-20 win. The hit, branded dirty and a cheap shot across social media and television sets since it happened, is almost certain to earn Al-Shaair the largest fine of his career.
The Houston linebacker was fined $11,817 in Week 2 for throwing a punch at running back Roschon Johnson, and just last week, Al-Shaair was fined $11,255 for a hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard.
“The entire thing is Azeez hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a melee,” Ryans said. “It wasn’t our guys. Their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline, so that’s uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sideline.”
Ryans said situations like the one that knocked Lawrence out of the game could be avoided if quarterbacks would slide earlier, and that defensive players are often put in difficult positions when gauging the difference between making a play and pulling up.
“With the entire Azeez situation, we stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that,” Ryans said. “Of course, he — unfortunate hit on the quarterback. But it’s also — it’s twofold, right?
“I mean, a lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age, they try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late, and they try to get an extra yard, and now you’re a defender, a lot of onus is on the defender whether it’s on the sideline or whether it’s on the quarterback. You don’t know what a guy is thinking. You don’t know if a guy is standing up, and he’s continuing to run.”
Al-Shaair posted a long explanation and apology on social media Monday morning, saying that he could “understand [teammates] having his back and defending him in a situation like that.”
“To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening,” Al-Shaair wrote. “Before the game we spoke and I told you how great it was to see you back out on the field and wished you well. I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I put on them, especially one that was ruled ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’”