Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has come out in support of Azeez Al-Shaair amid outrage over his linebacker’s vicious tackle on Trevor Lawrence.
Al-Shaair, who has also come under fire for wearing a pro-Palestine message on his cleats, is set to be suspended by the NFL after his brutal hit on Jaguars quarterback Lawrence in Houston’s 23-20 win over Jacksonville on Sunday.
The Texans defender was immediately ejected from the game following the illegal tackle, which sparked a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams as furious Jaguars players made their anger clear.
Lawrence, meanwhile, was carted off the field with a concussion before reassuring fans that he was ‘feeling better’ later on Sunday night.
Yet with his player facing heavy criticism over the hit, Ryans said in a press conference on Monday that the Texans are backing their player entirely.
‘With the entire Azeez situation, we stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that,’ he told reporters.
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has come out in support of Azeez Al-Shaair
Al-Shaair is set to be suspended by the NFL after this brutal hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
‘Unfortunately he hit a quarterback, but it’s two-fold. A lot of quarterbacks in this day and age are trying to take advantage of the rule when they slide late and they try to get an extra yard.
‘When 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’s thinking. You don’t know if a guy’s standing up and he’s continuing to run, you don’t know. And then you get a late slide and you hit the guy.
‘It’s unfortunate that Trevor got hurt, and I hope Trevor’s ok, but also if you’re sliding you have to get down, and if you’re getting out of bounds then get out of bounds, because that rule is there to protect the quarterbacks.
‘We want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league. So we just have to be safe and if we’re sliding, make sure we’re keeping our heads down.’
The Texans coach also took aim at Jacksonville’s staff for ‘overreacting’ on the sidelines when Al-Shaair made the hit on Lawrence, which he claims led to the mass brawl between the two teams.
‘Azeez hits the guy but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a melee,’ he continued. ‘It wasn’t our guys, their team overreacted and pushed our guy, dragged our guy to the sidelines. That’s uncalled for.’
Ryans went on to describe Al-Shaair as a ‘great human being’ while leaping to his defense.
Al-Shaair had to be held back by his teammates when a brawl broke out after the tackle
But Ryans insists his linebacker is a ‘great human being’ who ‘plays the game the right way’
‘Azeez is a really good player. He plays the game the right way, his intent is never to hurt anyone as he’s playing the game,’ he added.
‘Anybody that knows Azeez and talked to Azeez [will know] there’s nobody with a bigger heart. This guy is a special guy who I’ve known since 2019. A special young man, love working with him.
‘Any picture that’s painting Azeez as a dirty player or doing something intentional… that’s the exact opposite of what Azeez is.
‘People who know Azeez and know how he plays the game, yes he plays it fast and plays it physical, but sometimes that physical nature gets misunderstood in today’s game.’
Amid the fury over his tackle, Al-Shaair released a statement on Monday morning stressing that he only saw Lawrence sliding when it was ‘too late’ and that he never intended to harm him on the field.
‘I’ve always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone and anybody that knows me knows that,’ Al-Shaair wrote. ‘My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you’re still able to get up and play the next play. And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it’s not personal it’s just competition! We both are trying to do the same thing which is provide for our families!
Al-Shaair issued an apology on Monday stressing that he never intended to hurt Lawrence
Lawrence suffered a concussion after the hit but is now said to be ‘feeling better’ at home
‘I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late. And it all happens in the blink of an eye.
‘To Trevor i genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening. Before the game we spoke and I told you how it was great to see you back out on the field and wished you well. 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”.
‘To the rest of his teammates I can definitely understand you having his back and defending him in a situation like that. To the rest of the people who l’ve been called every single name in the book from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villan, to racist and islamophobic fans and people, you don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you.
‘God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.’
