One of the nastiest hits we’ve seen in the NFL in quite a while.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of their game against the Houston Texans yesterday by a brutal hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
The hit to his helmet came as Lawrence was sliding down, and the QB appeared to freeze up on the field as his teammates quickly rushed in to defend him.
Watch Trevor Lawrence immediately after this horrific hit. His right arm suddenly flexes as his left arm simultaneously extends. This is known as the “fencing posture”—an involuntary reflex that occurs after impact in blunt head trauma. It signifies a traumatic brain injury with… pic.twitter.com/Saa8j8cffJ
— Sam Ghali, M.D. (@EM_RESUS) December 1, 2024
Lawrence exited the game and was placed into the NFL’s concussion protocol, but later provided an update via Twitter letting fans know that he was back home and doing better:
Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all🙌🏼
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) December 2, 2024
The dirty hit earned Al-Shaair an ejection from the game, with Jaguars fans throwing trash at him as he exited the field.
Jaguars fans throwing trash at Azeez Al-Shaair pic.twitter.com/mI3x8lkOXv
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) December 1, 2024
And after the game, several of Lawrence’s teammates called out Al-Shaair for his cheap shot on their quarterback.
Evan Engram was one of the first Jaguars to rush in to fight Al-Shaair after the hit, and speaking with the media after the game, it was clear that Engram didn’t appreciate the hit on Lawrence:
“It was a dirty hit… Trev was going down, and I saw it out of my periphery, I got a pretty clear view of it, and in that moment instinctively it just didn’t feel like a clean hit, so I was just going to stick up for my quarterback.”
"it was a dirty hit" – Evan Engram on the play that injured Trevor Lawrence in the #Jaguars loss to the Texans pic.twitter.com/IKazMwVTOQ
— BrentDanStuartMarcelAlivia (@ActionSportsJax) December 1, 2024
Right on.
Of course many are calling for Al-Shaair to be suspended for the hit, and the linebacker has been the target of quite a bit of criticism on social media.
Over on Twitter, many began criticizing the Texans player for wearing cleats during the game that featured a pro-Palestinian message:
The Texans unveiled their “My Cause, My Cleats” for this season.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair dedicated his to the Palestine Children Relief Fund. pic.twitter.com/56EsV0OneA
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 27, 2024
And in a message this morning, Al-Shaair apologized (kind of) for the hit, while hitting back at the criticism he’s received from fans that he called “racist and Islamophobic.”
“I’ve always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone and anybody that knows me knows that. My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you’re still able to get up and play the next play. And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it’s not personal it’s just competition! We both are trying to do the same which is provide for our families!
I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late. And it all happens in the blink of an eye. To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening. Before the game we spoke and I told you how it was great 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’s deemed ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’
