Trevor Lawrence’s teammate was fined for attacking Azeez Al-Shaair after an illegal goal

The NFL fined Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram for retaliating against the player who delivered a season-ending hit to quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

According to NFL.com, Engram was fined $11,255 after he tackled Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in retaliation for his hit on Lawrence in the second quarter of Sunday’s game.

Engram was the first Jaguars player to attack Al-Shair after the hit, as players from both teams streamed into the area of ​​the hit.

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“It was a dirty hit,” Engram told reporters after the game. “In that moment, I knew instinctively that it didn’t feel like a clean hit, so I had to stand up for my quarterback.”

“I just knew it was wrong. It was a dirty game. You stood up for your boys. It’s just the way it is.”

Evan Engram of the New York Giants runs with the ball after making a catch against Azeez Al-Shaair (51) of the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on September 27, 2020 (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

While Engram was fined, Al-Shair was suspended for three games without pay. The NFL said the linebacker’s involvement in the brawl impacted discipline.

Lawrence suffered his second concussion within a year of the hit and was placed on the injured list. The quarterback will undergo shoulder surgery following an injury sustained in Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

TREVOR LAWRENCE WILL BE PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE, LIKELY HIS SEASON WILL END AFTER A DANGEROUS HIT

Lawrence posted on X Sunday night that he was “at home and feeling better.”

After the game, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans criticized the Jaguars for their “overreaction” after Al-Shair’s hit on Lawrence, suggesting the quarterback was to blame.

“It wasn’t our guys. Your team overreacted, pushed our man and dragged him to the sideline. So this is inappropriate on this site. “We have to be better on the sideline too, with both teams,” Ryans told reporters on Sunday.

Players fight after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shair (0) hits Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence late in the first half on December 1, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“I think what can be done is you just have to look at all sides and we can’t overreact just because I think someone is going to get hurt,” he said. “We are not intentionally trying to hurt anyone. I think there is an overreaction when someone gets hurt, but we just have to look at everything from all perspectives.”

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson defended his team’s response to the hit, calling Ryan’s reaction to the incident “surprising.”

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“We’re not interested in hurting anyone. We’re not interested in ruining careers. We want to win a football game and strictly follow the rules. That’s our job. This is how we train it. “That’s how we play it,” Pederson said.

“If they ask or suggest that we pursue someone, we don’t. We definitely don’t do that. That’s not how I train. That’s not how I coach these teams, these players. “We’re just going to go out there and do our job, play fast, physical and within the rules.”

Al-Shair has apologized and stressed that he did not intend to illegally hit Lawrence. The linebacker also spoke out against “racist and Islamophobic fans” in the wake of public reaction to the incident.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) slides in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, Dec. 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

But after it was announced that Al-Shair’s appeal against his three-game ban had been rejected, he sent a message with a different tone on Wednesday.

Al-Shaair posted a collection of photos on Instagram with the cryptic caption: “IF YOU WANT ME TO BE YOUR VILLAIN, I WILL BE YOUR VILLAIN! SEE YOU SOON.”

The four photos he posted showed him entering the field, a pro-Palestinian soccer cleat, a photo of Heath Ledger as the Joker and a quote saying: “It is a beautiful thing to be rejected by people, misunderstood, invisible and defenseless “It teaches you to trust in Allah for everything.”

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