Azeez Al-Shaair issued an apology to Trevor Lawrence, but also made sure to fault the fans and media for the backlash he’s receiving.
Al-Shaair delivered a vicious, helmet-to-helmet hit that forced Lawrence to be carted off the field Sunday afternoon during the Houston Texans’ 23-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans linebacker is facing a possible suspension over the illegal hit. And Monday morning, he issued an apology to Lawrence on social media.
All Praise to Allah🤲🏾 pic.twitter.com/pEbCRAg8fF
— Azeez Al-shaair (@A_train2_) December 2, 2024
“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. 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!” he wrote. “We both are trying to do the same thing which is provide for our families! 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 I’ve been called every single name in the book from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villain, 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.”
The apology portion of Al-Shaair’s statement seemed genuine. But the 27-year-old linebacker followed it by seemingly depicting himself as a victim in the incident.
Al-Shaair delivered the helmet-to-helmet hit on Lawrence as the Jaguars quarterback was attempting to slide. The result saw both players get removed from the game, Lawrence with a concussion, and Al-Shaair was ejected. Lawrence’s teammates quickly came to his defense, sparking a brawl by shoving Al-Shaair to the ground. This also was not a first-time offense for Al-Shaair, who has been criticized for illegal or dirty hits in the past.
As noted in his apology, Al-Shaair has been subjected to social media harassment in the wake of his hit on Lawrence, garnering internet scrutiny for wearing “free” Palestine cleats in recent weeks. And the media did react strongly to Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence, with many reporters and analysts calling it dirty. To be clear, the media’s response to Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence does not compare or relate to the racist or Islamophobic vitriol he’s received from people on social media. But calling out those racist fans amid his apology probably won’t change the media’s opinion of his hit on Lawrence either.
