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Azeez Al-Shaair’s Other Dirty Plays Resurface After Ugly Hit on Trevor Lawrence

The hit sparked a brawl on Sunday.

Kyle Koster

Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected for this hit on Trevor Lawrence on Sunday.
Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected for this hit on Trevor Lawrence on Sunday. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair sparked a donnybrook during Sunday's victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars when he knocked Trevor Lawrence out of the game with a hit that was deemed dirty by the Jags and wasn't defended much by his own team. The late blow earned him an ejection after the resulting brawl was broken up and there's growing belief that that it will earn Al-Shaair a suspension.

The incident also gave reason for people to explore other borderline—and not so borderline—plays the defender has made during his career. And the tape makes a compelling case that there's a trend.

The court of public opinion doesn't have any real jurisdiction but the NFL has to know where public sentiment is on this one and Al-Shaair's previous history will be something important for them to consider. For all of the bang-bang plays we see where the quarterback slides late and defenders have to make a split-second decision, it's still rare that one gets laid out with as much aggression as Lawrence absorbed. It would make sense if the league would want to send a message that such hits have no place in the game.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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