Azeez Al-Shaair’s reaction to the flag thrown for his late hit on Trevor Lawrence was surprising, given how egregious it was.
The linebacker slammed into Lawrence after he slid at the end of a scramble during Sunday’s game between the Texans and Jaguars, leaving the quarterback in a fencing position and sparking a melee as several Jaguars players rushed in to defend their teammate.
The photo below shows Al-Shair’s immediate reaction to a flag being thrown after the cheap shot, and it appears he was in disbelief.
Check it out below:
Bro couldn’t believe he got flagged after almost ending Trevor Lawrence’s career. pic.twitter.com/kYiv0FnfLc
— TPS (@TotalProSports) December 2, 2024
The nerve…
The LB was eventually ejected for the late hit.
The Jaguars’ Locker Room Was Fuming Over Azeez-Al-Shaair’s Dirty Hit
Jaguars players were still upset after the game, which Houston won 23-20, and expressed their feelings on the matter to reporters.
“It was a dirty hit,” tight end Evan Engram said, per ESPN. “Obviously those hits are always in question. Trevor was going down and I saw it out of my peripheral [vision]. I got a pretty clear view of it, and in that moment, just [reacted on] instincts. It just didn’t feel like a clean hit, so just go stick up for my quarterback.
“I mean, I saw him sliding and then I saw the hit, and then just, honestly, it just took over. I just knew it was wrong. It was just a dirty play, and you stick up for your guys.”
Engram was assessed a personal foul for shoving Al-Shaair in the back.
“That was a dumb hit on his part,” defensive end Josh Hines-Allen added. ” At the end of the day he’s just playing football, but again, the way we’ve changed the rules of how we play, we go over these things. We talk about these things. We know how to play football. A couple of years ago, that would’ve been a great hit, but now that wasn’t a good play on him.
“I am not going to sit up there and say, does he deserve to get suspended or not? That’s not my call at that moment. It wasn’t smart.”
Lawrence has since updated fans on his condition, taking to X to let everyone know he was feeling better as of late Sunday night.
