Many notable highlights occurred during Sunday’s NFL action, but one lowlight occurred between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The two teams 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 scrambled on a second-down carry, sliding down after a gain of six yards. That led to Al-Shaair launching himself at Lawrence just as he slid, hitting the quarterback hard in the helmet.
On Monday, Al-Shaair apologized for his unwarranted hit that knocked Lawrence out of Sunday’s 23-20 win.
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‘I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late,’ Al-Shaair wrote in a statement he posted to X. ‘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.”
Fans threw objects at Al-Shaair as he exited the field after his ejected.
Lawrence issued an update on his injury on Sunday evening, posting a thanks to all who reached out.
‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all,’ Lawrence posted on X.
The Texans would win 23-20.