On Sunday, December 1st, during a 1 pm, ET time versus the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, suffered more than just a loss on the record, but a personal one as well.
The Jaguars have had a rough season, now standing at a record of 2-10, making them unqualified for the playoffs. There is not much more in sight for the team except a few more pointless wins. However, on Sunday morning, before their battle with Houston, the team lost more than just another game.
When Lawrence snapped the ball and looked for someone to pass to, he couldn’t find an open man, forcing him to roll out of the pocket and run up the field. As Lawrence went in for a slide, he got gruesomely met by Texan’s linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, with what most call, a dirty hit.
Following the hit, Al-Shaair published a public apology on X, saying “I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late”. However, another earlier post from Al-Shaair showed a headshot of Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of the Joker, with the caption; “IF YOU WANT ME TO BE YOUR VILLAIN, I’LL BE YOUR VILLAIN! SEE YOU SOON…”, and in another picture from the post, Al-Shaair says, “There is a beauty in being rejected, misunderstood, unseen and unprotected by people. It teaches you to rely on Allah for everything.” The apology plus the aggressive social media posts raised huge debate for the media wasn’t sure what to believe.
Furthermore, the NFL had to lay a fist down on Al-Shaair regardless of his hit and ultimately suspended him for three games. The final verdict shown was that Al-Shaair did in fact commit a dirty hit, taking Lawrence out of not only the game but most likely out of the rest of the season. Now, the offense lies in the hands of backup quarterback Mac Jones, who will hopefully lead the team to a few more wins.
What do you think the rest of the Jaguars season will look like?
