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On December 1, 2024, NFL player Al-Shaair hit Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence with an illegal hit, which left Lawrence with a concussion and resulted in Al-Shaair’s ejection. A fight ensued, and Jones was also ejected. Al-Shaair apologized and was suspended for three games. Two days later, the NFL’s Vice President of Policy and Rules, Jon Runyan, condemned Al-Shaair’s actions for disregarding the rules and putting the health and safety of both him and his opponents at risk.
Azeez Al-Shaair has revealed his deep depression after being suspended for a hit on Trevor Lawrence
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has revealed his deep depression and doubt about his ability to play football after being suspended for three games following a hit on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. He spoke to reporters for the first time since his suspension.
“The things that you can think when somebody says they’re in a dark place, as dark as you can go is where I was truthfully,” he said. Al-Shaair added that “it was hard for me to see myself playing football again” before he met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and league executives Troy Vincent and Jon Runyan.
Lawrence clenched his fists after a traumatic brain injury, which is called the “fencing response.” His teammates rushed to defend him, which led to a brawl. When Al-Shaair was thrown out of the game, fans were yelling at him, and Jaguars veteran guard Brandon Scherff joined in. Texans teammate Will Anderson was walking Al-Shaair off the field when a fan threw a water bottle, hitting him in the helmet.
Al-Shaair acknowledged understanding the suspension but disagreed with Runyan’s description in the letter announcing the punishment. It included Runyan telling Al-Shaair, “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.”
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“But the way he typed it, he said got obviously taken out of context,” Al-Shaair said. “I clearly made a mistake (and) the reason why he typed something which ended up being taken out of context as a mistake is because I did something that was obviously not right, me taking my helmet off and me starting another brawl … wasn’t right. But everything prior to that I stand on the fact that I never tried to hurt him.”
Al-Shaair said he sat in a room not doing anything for about five days after his suspension. “It’s like a blur,” he said. “I didn’t eat nothing. I didn’t go anywhere. I got so many different messages like that and I remember just sitting in my bed and I was like, ‘Man, like I can just keep sitting here sad and sulking and just feeling like I’m being misjudged or I can just do what I always do, which is just try to be positive and spread positivity, do the best that I can,’” he said.
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