Trevor Lawrence was eliminated on Sunday after a blow to the head from Azeez Al-Shaair.
Al Shaair was suspended for three games for the hit that was widely considered dirty. However, the Houston Texans linebacker said he had no malicious intent, with general manager Nick Caseio calling the defenseman’s treatment “bulls…”.
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore wouldn’t go that far, but in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, he noted it’s a tough circumstance.
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, No. 16, slides as Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, No. 0, makes a late hit during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville , Florida. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)
“You never want to see someone get hit like that. It’s kind of tough sometimes when quarterbacks are running, trying to get first downs and then sliding at the last second, I see both sides,” he said.
Gilmore seemed to agree that defenders are almost never given the benefit of the doubt on those blowout plays that happen in the blink of an eye.
“It’s tough: Some quarterbacks slip early, sometimes you try to get first down so they get aggressive,” he said. “You don’t know when to back off and go for the tackle, so it’s difficult.”
Gilmore’s comments reflect some Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said of the ordeal, even saying the Jaguars players overreacted.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, No. 16, slides down the field in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, No. 0, in the second quarter of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
“But it’s also twofold, right? I mean a lot of quarterbacks these days. They’re trying to take advantage of the late rule, and they’re trying to get an extra yard, and now you’re As a defender, there’s a lot of responsibility on the defender, whether he’s on the sideline or on the quarterback, you don’t know what a guy is thinking,” Ryans said. “You don’t know if a guy gets up and keeps running, you don’t know, and then you get a late one slide, and you hit the man.
‘Too bad Trevor got hurt. I hope Trevor is doing well, but it’s also true that if we slide, we have to go down. If we go out of bounds, we go out of bounds and that rule is around the quarterbacks, and we want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league, so we just have to be safe. When we slide, make sure we keep our heads down. And the whole thing is Azeez: he hits the guy. but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a fight.
“It wasn’t our guys. It’s their team that overreacted, pushed our guy and dragged our guy to the sideline, so there’s no need for that on that side. We have to be better on the sideline as well, with both teams.”
Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, said Al-Shaair’s actions after the goal and other foul plays contributed to his punishment.
Players fight after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, No. 0, hit Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, No. 16, with a late hit during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Lawrence posted on X on Sunday night that he was “home and feeling better.”
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