Al-Shaair apologizes to Lawrence after illegal hit on defenseless quarterback

Jaguars quarterback was left concussed after blowIncident led to brawl between Texans and Jags

Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair has apologized to Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence after his violent blow forced the quarterback out of Sunday’s game with a concussion.

Lawrence was back after missing two games through injury when he scrambled left in the second quarter of Houston’s 23-20. He initiated a slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and hit the defenseless quarterback.

In an X post on Monday, Al-Shaair, who was ejected for the hit, said he didn’t see Lawrence sliding until “it was too late” and that the incident happened “in the blink of an eye”.

“To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening,” Al-Shaair wrote. “Before the game we spoke and I told you how great it was 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 was ruled ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’”

Lawrence clenched both fists after the hit – movements consistent with the “fencing response,” which is common after a traumatic brain injury. He was on the ground for several minutes as teammates came to his defense and confronted Al-Shaair.

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