For the second time this season, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans found himself answering for a cheap shot by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Al-Shaair’s illegal hit on Trevor Lawrence on Sunday left the Jaguars quarterback with a concussion.
”It’s unfortunate with the hit with Azeez,” Ryans said. “That’s not what we’re coaching. We want to be smart in everything we do and not hurt the team. . . . We just have to be smarter when the quarterback is going down. It’s an unfortunate play. It’s not representative of who Azeez is. He’s a smart player and really a great leader for us. We felt his presence not being there, his loss really affected us on the defensive side.
“It’s not what we’re coaching. I didn’t want to see the melee and all of the aftermath. It’s not what we’re about. It’s not representative of us. I’ll talk to Azeez, address him personally, and we’ll move forward from it.”
With 3:57 remaining in the second quarter, the quarterback slid at the end of a 6-yard gain. Al-Shaair blasted Lawrence anyway, using his padded elbow to drill Lawrence in the head and neck area.
Officials ejected Al-Shaair, who showed no remorse as he left the field and instead instigated another brouhaha.
As a repeat offender, it’s likely the NFL at least considers a suspension of Al-Shaair.
In Week 2, Al-Shaair hit Bears quarterback Caleb Williams along the sideline as the rookie was headed out of bounds. Several Bears players took issue, rushing to their quarterback’s aid. Al-Shaair responded by punching running back Roschon Johnson in the facemask.
Al-Shaair was not ejected as officials missed the punch, but he was fined $11,817 for unnecessary roughness.
The Texans are on their off week next weekend before playing the Dolphins in Week 15.
