NFL VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan was not a fan of what Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair did to Trevor Lawrence and made sure he knew about it.
The Houston Texans linebacker has been suspended for three games without pay for his “illegal hit” on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during their matchup on Sunday.
Al-Shaair was ejected from the game after the brutal hit as Lawrence got carted off the field and ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion. Although he was able to sit upright on the cart, he exhibited signs of a brain injury as his hands and arms went into a fencing position.
Runyan’s press release went far beyond the usual description of the play. He blasted Azeez Al-Shaair for his “lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it.”
“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated,” Runyan added in the letter to the Texans linebacker.
For older fans of the league, Jon Runyan’s words were quite hypocritical since they are old enough to remember the things he did when he played in the NFL.
Runyan was once voted one of the NFL’s dirtiest players in the league.
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Not to mention, he is being called out after a video surfaced showing him playing for the Eagles and delivering a flying headbutt to a 49ers player.
Azeez Al-Shaair issued an apology via X on Monday, stating in part, “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.'”
Unfortunately, things worked against him, as the 27-year-old linebacker’s conduct has been in question this season.
During the Texans’ game against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, the league fined him for punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline.
Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair Appealing Suspension
The NFL has taken action on Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair for his unsportsmanlike hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.
He was levied a three-game suspension “for repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship,” the NFL said in an official release.
However, he does plan to appeal it.
