Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of Sunday’s game after taking a hit to the head by Azeez Al-Shaair.
Al-Shaair was suspended three games for the hit that was widely deemed dirty. However, the Houston Texans linebacker said he had no ill-intent, and general manager Nick Caseio called the treatment of the defender “bulls—.”
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore would not go that far, but in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, he noted that it is a difficult circumstance.
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, #16, slides for a down as Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, makes a late hit during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)
“You never want to see someone get hit like that. It’s kind of tricky sometimes with quarterbacks running, trying to get first downs, and then sliding at the last second, I see both sides,” he said.
Gilmore seemed to agree that defenders almost never get the benefit of the doubt on those bang-bang plays that happen in the blink of an eye.
“It’s hard – some quarterbacks slide early, sometimes you try to get a first down so they get aggressive,” he said. “You don’t know when to pull back and go for the tackle, so it’s tricky.”
Gilmore’s comments echo what Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said about the ordeal, who even said the Jaguars players overreacted.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, #16, slides down in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, in the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
“But it’s also – it’s twofold, right? I mean a lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age. They try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late, and they try to get an extra yard, and now you’re a defender, a lot of onus is on the defender whether it’s on the sideline or whether it’s on the quarterback, you don’t know what a guy thinking,” Ryans said. “You don’t know if a guy is standing up and he’s continuing to run, you don’t know, and then you get a late slide, and you’re – you hit the guy.Â
“Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. Hope Trevor is OK, but it’s also, if we’re sliding, we have to get down. If we’re getting out of bounds, we get out of bounds and that rule is there to protect the quarterbacks, and we want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league, so we just have to be safe. If we’re sliding, make sure we’re keeping our heads down. And the entire thing is Azeez – he hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts, and it turns into a melee.
“It wasn’t our guys. It’s their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline, so that’s uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sidelines, as well, with both teams.”
Jon Runyan, NFL vice president of football operations, said Al-Shaair’s actions after the hit, and other dirty plays, contributed to his penalty.
Players fight after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, hit Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, #16, with a late hit during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Lawrence posted on X on Sunday night that he was “home and feeling better.”
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