NFL upholds Azeez Al-Shaair's three-game suspension on Trevor Lawrence late hit

The NFL upheld the three-game suspension against Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair on Wednesday, according to NFL Senior Vice President of Football & Internal Communications Michael Signora. The decision to uphold the suspension was made by hearing officer and former NFL offensive lineman Ramon Foster.

Hearing officer Ramon Foster, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, has upheld the three-game suspension of Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) December 4, 2024

The Texans linebacker will not be eligible to return until after the team’s Week 17 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Al-Shaair was served a suspension by the league after laying a late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in Houston’s Week 13 win over the Jaguars Sunday. Lawrence was carted off the field with a concussion and later placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Al-Shaair’s hit spawned a larger scuffle on the sideline, leading to Al-Shaair’s own ejection as well as the ejection of Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones.

On Monday morning, Al-Shaair posted an apology letter to X, saying he “genuinely didn’t see [Lawrence] sliding until it was too late.”

“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 it was great to see you back 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’s deemed ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’”

Al-Shaair’s suspension was issued Tuesday via a letter from Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations. In the letter, Runyan highlighted Al-Shaair’s previous history of late hits — he has been fined a combined $23,072 for two separate late hits this season

“Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL,” Runyan wrote to Al-Shaair. “Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated.”

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio took particular offense to the letter, going to bat for Al-Shaair during a press conference Tuesday.

“I think where we take umbrage is the picture that’s been painted about Azeez, his intentions, who he is as a person — quite frankly it’s b—–-,” Caserio said. “It’s unfair to the individual, it’s unfair to the organization. We love everything about Azeez Al-Shaair, what he means to this team, what he brings to this team. He was elected a captain after being here for four months.”

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans aired a similar sentiment during his Monday morning press conference, highlighting the veteran linebacker’s leadership.

“He’s an exceptional leader for us,” Ryans said. “He’s a really good leader for us and he plays the game the right way. His intent is never to hurt anyone as he’s playing the game. Anyone that knows Azeez, talks to Azeez — nobody with a bigger heart than Azeez. This guy’s a special guy that I’ve known since 2019. Special young man, love working with him.

“For any picture that’s painted of him being a dirty player or doing something intentional, that’s the exact opposite of what Azeez is. People who know Azeez, they know how he plays the game. Yes, he plays it fast. He plays it physical. But sometimes that physical nature gets misunderstood in today’s game.”

The Texans head into their bye following their 23-20 win over the Jaguars. Once they exit, they face an extremely tough trio of offenses in Miami, Kansas City and Baltimore without their team leader in solo tackles. Houston maintains a 1.5-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South, holding a tiebreaker by winning both their matchups against the Colts this year.