NFL fans blast Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair's "soft and weak" suspension for hit that injured Trevor Lawrence

On Tuesday, the NFL announced that Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair would be suspended for three games for his brutal hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. However, fans on social media slammed the league for not levying a harsher punishment against Al-Shaair, who left Lawrence in the concussion protocols after clattering into the defenseless signal-caller.

Al-Shaair was ejected in the second quarter of the Week 13 game at EverBank Stadium on Sunday. Fans on X made their feelings known about the latest suspension that the NFL dished out for the Houston player.

"Soft and weak suspension." one tweeted.

"Not long enough," another added.

"The NFL is again declaring their war on Defense. 3 games is egregious." a third commented.

One felt that the NFL could have suspended Al-Shaair for the entire season, along with a fine for the Texans linebacker.

"Should’ve been season ending suspension plus additional fines," one wrote.

A section of fans also suggested that Al-Shaair should never have gotten the opportunity to play in the NFL again.

"3 games should have been replaced with “indefinitly.”" a user tweeted.

"Should be lifetime with a jail sentence." tweeted another.

"Should be banned permanently," a fan wrote.

The Texans went on to beat the Jaguars 23-20 on Sunday. After the game, Al-Shaair apologized.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans defends Azeez Al-Shaair after hit on Trevor Lawrence

Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair (L) hits Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence late in Week 13 matchup- Source: Imagn

Although Azeez Al-Shaair apologized for his late tackle on the Jaguars quarterback, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans backed his linebacker in a post-game press conference.

"We stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that," Ryans said. "Of course the unfortunate hit on a quarterback. But it's two-fold. A lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age, they try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late and they try to get an extra yard.

"Now, you're a defender, and a lot of onus is on the defender. Whether it's on the sideline or it's on the quarterback, you don't know what a guy is thinking. You don't know if a guy's staying up and he's continuing to run. You don't know. And you get a late slide and you hit the guy.

"Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. We hope Trevor's OK. But also, if we're sliding, you have to get down."

The Texans (8-5) are leading the AFC South and will play against the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens in their next three games. Azeez Al-Shaair will not be eligible to play in these matchups, but the linebacker can return after his suspension in Houston's regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans.