On Monday, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans addressed the hit by Texas linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair that rocked Jaguars linebacker Trevor Lawrence on Sunday.
He put the blame on Lawrence. And he believes Jaguars players overreacted when they responded to the hit.
Ryans talked about the hit during his press conference Monday afternoon.
Wow.
HC Demeco Ryans says Trevor Lawrence is to blame for his players’ cheap shot.
The Texans are slowly becoming the most hated team in the league 😳
— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) December 3, 2024
“We stand behind Azeez and everything that came out of it,” Ryans said. “Obviously, the unfortunate hit on the quarterback. But it’s twofold. A lot of quarterbacks these days try to take advantage of the rule of sliding late and trying to get the extra yard.”
“Now you’re a linebacker and a lot of the onus is on the linebacker. Whether it’s on the sideline or it’s on the quarterback, you don’t know what a guy’s thinking. You don’t know if a guy stays and he keeps running, you don’t know.
“Unfortunately, Trevor got hurt. We hope Trevor is okay. But also, if we’re slipping, you have to go down.”
Here’s the hit at full speed:
And again in slow motion:
Lawrence began his slide as Al-Shaair prepared to raid. After Lawrence surrendered, Al-Shaair launched himself head first towards Lawrence. After the hit, Lawrence was left lying dazed on the field and out of the game with a concussion. It also sparked a brawl as Jaguars players reacted to Al-Shaair’s tackle.
Ryans also has a problem with that.
“The whole thing is Azeez hits a guy, but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a melee,” Ryans said. “It wasn’t our guys. Their team overreacted, pressured our guy and dragged him to the sideline. So it’s not necessary from that end. We’ve got to be better on the sideline with both teams.”
The NFL suspended both teams on Sunday. Al-Shaair was ejected for the hit that started it all. Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones was ejected for his role in the ensuing brawl.
Earlier Monday, Al-Shaair issued a statement apologizing for Lawrence’s injury, saying “I would never want to see any player injured because of a hit I gave him, especially a hit that is considered ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’ . around “late” and “unnecessary” are his own.
The NFL is expected to be the next vote to be considered amid calls for them to hand out significant discipline for the hit.