The NFL hopes three games is enough for Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to learn a lesson he should have learned years ago.
On Tuesday, the league suspended Al-Shaair for three games for a dirty, cheap hit on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in Week 13, leaving the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft with a concussion.
In announcing the suspension, Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, wrote, “Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL.”
However, the league is showing too much leniency by suspending Al-Shaair, a repeat offender, for only three games.
ESPN’s “Get Up” listed Al-Shaair’s multiple offenses since 2023, including over $40,000 in fines from roughing the passer and facemask penalties, fighting and a late hit.
“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated,” Runyan added.
That last point makes Al-Shaair’s three-game ban even more ridiculous. If the NFL truly believes he’s a danger to other players, it owes it to the rest of the league to protect them from someone who’s shown he doesn’t care about anyone else’s health.
What happens when Al-Shaair inevitably draws another foul for unnecessary roughness? His suspension might be permanent at that point, but that will be of little comfort to any player he might injure.
The NFL is bigger than any one player. Al-Shaair has continually proved he doesn’t deserve the opportunity to play in the league with his consistently dirty play.
His three-game suspension only amounts to a slap on the wrist. By only putting him in timeout, the NFL is only delaying its next catastrophe.
