After taking a nasty hit to the head on Sunday, Trevor Lawrence’s season appears to be over.
The Jacksonville Jaguars placed their quarterback on injured reserve, three days after the blow he took.
Lawrence scrambled on first down with just over 4 minutes to play in the half. He tried sliding to avoid the hit, but as he went down, Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair launched into Lawrence’s head and neck area. The quarterback was down for a bit and Jaguars players came over to dole out some of their own kind of justice toward Al-Shaair.
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Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence leaves the field on a cart after getting injured on a late hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Al-Shaair was ejected from the game and suspended for three more contests.
Lawrence posted on X Sunday night that he was “home and feeling better,” but the IR stint will cause him to miss the next four games.
That would make Lawrence eligible to return for the final game of the season, but it’s hard to imagine the Jaguars risking anything in a meaningless game – in fact, the only meaning for them could be the No. 1 pick of the draft.
Jon Runyan, NFL vice president of football operations, announced that Al-Shaair would be suspended without pay in a lengthy letter, calling the hit “unacceptable and a serious violation of the playing rules.”
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence slides in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Dec. 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
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Runyan also pointed to Al-Shaair’s involvement in the on-field brawl that erupted after the hit, as well as previous hits he has had that led to his punishment.
Al-Shaair issued an apology on Monday.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair makes a late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)
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“To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening,” Al-Shaair wrote. “Before the game we spoke and I told you how great it was 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 was ruled ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’”
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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