Texas’ Azeez Al-Shaair ‘grateful’ to return to football after suspension for violent hit
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair released a statement Monday night to return to the team following a three-game suspension for a high hit on Jacksonville Jaguars running back Trevor Lawrence.
Al-Shaair thanked Texans owners Cal and Hannah McNair, general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans and others who defended him over the blow.
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Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, reacts after being sacked against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on December 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
“While many jumped at the first opportunity to catch fake stories – that I was a dirty player or a bad person – the messages from everyone who stood by me were the only things that kept me mentally afloat during the time of isolation,” he said.
He said losing control of the moment “was an embarrassing eye-opening moment” and expressed regret for the way he had behaved.
Al-Shaair said he met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executives Troy Vincent and Jon Runyan. He made it clear to them that he didn’t think Runyan’s statement about him before the suspension was a good characterization. He said their meeting was productive.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Trevor Lawrence, #16, falls in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., on December 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
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“Finally, I will say that this world is full of negative people who are just waiting to tear you down, but if you move with love and compassion, the seeds of goodness you sow in other people’s lives can grow into the very treat that overshadows you with comfort and compassion when you is the most necessary,” he said.
“I’m a man of God, I’m a leader, a warrior and a lover. I’m also a damn good football player and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love.”
Al-Shaair will return for the Texans’ postseason run. Houston is on a two-game losing streak.
The hit on Lawrence essentially cost the Jaguars star the rest of his season. He was ruled out of the game with a concussion, and it was later determined that he would undergo surgery on the shoulder he injured earlier in the year.
Players fight after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, hits Jacksonville Jaguars running back Trevor Lawrence with a late hit during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Al-Shaair was hit with suspension while Runyan called the goal “an unacceptable and serious violation of the rules of the game.”
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