Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected from Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars for hitting Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the head after Lawrence gave himself up on a run by sliding and the hit was a popular topic of conversation in the Jacksonville locker room after the game.
Jaguars tight end Evan Engram got a personal foul for going after Al-Shaair after the play. He said it was “just a dirty play, and you stick up for your guys” while explaining his reaction and Jaguars edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen was asked whether he thinks Al-Shaiir should be suspended.
“That was a dumb hit on his part. . . . At the end of the day he’s just playing football, but again, the way we’ve changed the rules of how we play, we go over these things,” Hines-Allen said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “We talk about these things. We know how to play football. A couple of years ago, that would’ve been a great hit, but now that wasn’t a good play on him. I am not going to sit up there and say, does he deserve to get suspended or not? That’s not my call at that moment. It wasn’t smart.”
Al-Shaiir was fined $11,817 for unnecessary roughness after punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson in Week Two and his history will factor into any disciplinary decisions by the league.