HOUSTON – One of the hottest debates in the NFL in years has been the conversations surrounding embattled Texans veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
The NFL suspended the Texans’ team captain for three games for his controversial, concussion-causing hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and is likely out for the season.
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The suspension, criticized by Texans general manager Nick Caserio, and harsh commentary from NFL vice president of operations Jon Runyan in his disciplinary letter to Al-Shaair called “embarrassing and bull---t” by the AFC South leaders’ personnel boss, has become a huge topic across the airwaves and on social media.
While public sentiment has ranged widely from defense of Al-Shaair to him being called a dirty player by many analysts, not everyone shares that opinion.
That includes FOX NFL analyst and retired seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback and former NFL Most Valuable Player Tom Brady.
Brady, who once complained to a referee about Al-Shaair hitting him and grabbing him around the neck area when Brady was playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Al-Shaair was plying his trade for the San Francisco 49ers, stuck up for the former undrafted free agent on a FOX Sports appearance.
“Certainly for Trevor Lawrence, nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it also is the reality of a very physical sport that we play,” Brady said. “But defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature. I always tried to be aggressive on offense and at the same time, the defense tries to tackle aggressively. Certainly, the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves. I see Josh Allen running a lot. I see Lamar Jackson running a lot. Certainly, it’s a great skill set to have.
“At the same time, when you run, you put yourself in a lot of danger. And when you do that, I don’t think the onus on protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense. If you slide, everyone can argue, was it black and white or was it a gray area? Did you slide late or was it unnecessary roughness? Or is it a late hit? To me, a late hit is very late. I think it’s gone to a point where everyone will label someone as a dirty player. I don’t like that one bit.”
Retired Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year now working for CBS Sports as an analyst, said a three-game suspension is going too far.
"The Azeez Al-Shaair hit looked brutal and you hope that Trevor Lawrence is gonna be okay..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 4, 2024
I do think that there's justification for punishment there but I also think that the punishment is extremely harsh" ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ajEHOovdNr
Al-Shaair is appealing the suspension and trying to get it reduced. It’s being heard Wednesday by appeals officer Ramon Foster, a former
“I understand the outrage and everything coming from the hit,” Watt said during the Pat McAfee show. “It looked absolutely brutal. It was brutal. It’s a very tough play and you want Trevor to be okay and that’s hands-down and foremost No. 1. And I do think there’s justification for punishment there, no doubt. I do also think the punishment is extremely harsh.
“Especially when you listen to what (Caserio) said and you listen to the comparison to other punishments that have been handed down across the league and you look at the history and just the precedent there. The inconsistency in the punishment is an issue, but I understand that there should be a punishment handed down there.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
