Furious Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has dubbed the NFL ‘hypocritical’ for banning Azeez Al-Shaair from having contact with the team during his suspension.
Al-Shaair has been hit with a three-game suspension after his brutal tackle on Trevor Lawrence during Houston’s 23-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, which sparked a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams.
As Lawrence lay motionless on the field with a concussion, the Texans linebacker had to be held back by his teammates during the melee, before he was swiftly ejected from the game.
After announcing his three-game ban, which prevents him from having any contact with his team, the NFL cited Al-Shaair’s past offenses while claiming his ‘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.’
‘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,’ Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan concluded in a letter to the player.
However, Caserio has fired back at NFL chiefs in a fiery rant on Tuesday.
Texans GM Nick Caserio has branded the NFL ‘hypocritical’ after banning Azeez Al-Shaair
The Texans GM first argued that their assessment of Al-Shaair’s conduct ‘couldn’t be further from the truth’ and that ‘nobody has a lot of respect for that’ before accusing the league of hypocrisy.
‘If the league says they care about the wellbeing of their players, and I would say at a time like this Azeez is probably going through a lot of things, we can’t even provide support on a multitude of levels,’ he fumed to reporters.
‘So it’s a little bit hypocritical to say, “We want to support the players, but do you know what, the organization can’t have contact with him for four weeks.”
‘Ok, so what do you want [him] to do, just go and float by himself?’
Caserio also expressed frustration with the NFL’s lack of consistency after other ejections were punished less severely of late.
Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was recently ejected for a late hit against the Green Bay Packers only to return the following week, while LA Chargers safety Derwin James received a one-game suspension after an ejection for a similar offense back in September.
‘The level of consistency relative to discipline that’s mandated, it’s gotta match up in some capacity,’ Caserio added. ‘We’re trying to understand it.
‘And again, I speak for the Texans, but I speak for a lot of the other teams in the league as well. Everybody just wants some level of consistency, a level playing field, just so we have some understanding so we can apply the rules in the right way.’
Al-Shaair, who also came under fire for wearing a political message on his cleats against the Jaguars, has never been suspended by the NFL prior to his three-game ban for the hit on Lawrence.
The 27-year-old is also set to appeal the suspension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
