There were plenty of bitter spats in college football’s rivalry games over Thanksgiving weekend, and that carried over into Sunday’s NFL action between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans and Jaguars got into a brawl in the second quarter of their Week 13 meeting after Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair put a brutal hit on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence was scrambling on a second-and-7 carry but slid down after a gain of 6 yards. As he slid, Al-Shaair launched himself at the quarterback, hitting him hard in the helmet. Lawrence was clearly hurt on the play and appeared to go into the fencing posture – a symptom often associated with concussions.
Unsurprisingly, Lawrence was quickly ruled out with a head injury.
Trevor Lawrence hit
Below is a look at the hit Al-Shaair laid on Lawrence:
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Texans vs. Jaguars brawl: Azeez Al-Shaair ejected
Al-Shaair continued to jaw with members of the Jaguars as he left the field, including veteran offensive guard Brandon Scherff. He also appeared to be shouting at fans before a plethora of staffers and Texans defensive lineman Will Anderson Jr. got him to go into the locker room.
Action resumed shortly after Al-Shaair was taken off the field. The Jaguars resumed play with Mac Jones at quarterback, and the fourth-year signal-caller led Jacksonville to its first points of the day, cutting Houston’s lead to 6-3.
What Jaguars, Texans said about Trevor Lawrence hit
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson was measured in his response to Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence.
‘You see it at every level of football when the quarterback gets hit at that magnitude,’ Pederson told reporters during his postgame news conference. ‘It just escalates.’
Pederson made it clear that he didn’t support what Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones did during the brawl, calling it ‘unacceptable.’
‘You’ve got to be the bigger person,’ Pederson said. ‘You have to be the bigger man. Just fortunate no one else was ejected from the game.’
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans took a similar tone during his postgame media availability. He referred to Al-Shaair’s hit as ‘unfortunate’ and said he addressed it with the veteran following the contest.
‘It’s not what we’re coaching,’ Ryans told reporters, per ESPN. ‘Just want to be smart in everything we do and not hurt our team. I didn’t want to see the melee and all of the aftermath. It’s not what we’re about. I talked to Azeez and addressed it personally, and we’ll move forward.’
This story has been updated with more information.
