NFL coaches and players react to the brutal beating of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence

NFL coaches and players, past and present, have expressed their reactions to the illegal hit on the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The play in question occurred on Sunday, December 1, when Lawrence, 25, was hit in the head by the Houston Texans linebacker Azezz Al-Shair as the Jaguars’ star slid onto the field.

Lawrence suffered a concussion during the game, 27-year-old Al-Shaair was ejected from the game and a melee broke out on the field, leading to more ejections and further chaos.

A suspension has not yet been issued by the NFL, but is expected.

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On Sunday evening, Lawrence gave an update on his condition.

“Thank you to everyone who looked after me/prayed for me,” he wrote of X. “I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot to me, thank you all 🙏🏻.”

Al-Shair issued his own statement on Monday, December 2, offering his condolences to Lawrence.

“I really didn’t see him slip until it was too late,” Al-Shair wrote in an Instagram Story. “And everything happens in the blink of an eye. To Trevor, I sincerely apologize for what ultimately happened. We talked before the game and I said it was great to see her back on the field and wished you all the best.”

Lawrence previously suffered a shoulder injury during Jacksonville’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 3. Sunday’s game against the Texans marked Lawrence’s return to the lineup after missing the team’s previous two games.

However, Al-Shair attributed the unfortunate injury to the dangerous nature of football.

“I always played the game as hard as I could,” he wrote. “Never with the intention of harming anyone and anyone who knows me knows that. My goal is to hit you as hard as I can. Then I pray you’re still able to get up and play the next play.”

He continued: “And when the game is over, go home to your family unharmed because it’s nothing personal, it’s just a competition! We’re both trying to do the same thing, which is to provide for our families!”

To learn more about how members of the NFL community reacted to the Lawrence hit, keep scrolling.

Doug Pederson, head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars

After the game, Pederson, 56, said Al-Shair’s goal was “a move that has no place in our league.”

Pederson did not specify when he expected Lawrence to return to action this season, if at all.

DeMeco Ryans, head coach of the Houston Texans

During his post-match press conference, Ryans, 40, said Al-Shair’s goal was “not what we train for.”

“It’s not representative of Azeez,” Ryans added. “He is a smart player. A really great leader for us. We felt his presence wasn’t there.”

Evan Engram, tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Engram, 30, who was suspended from the game for his role in the on-field brawl that took place after Al-Shair’s goal, called it “a dirty game.”

“You just stick up for your guys,” Engram said of the scuffle.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen

While Hines-Allen admitted Al-Shair’s hit was “stupid,” he also gave him some grace.

“At the end of the day, he’s just playing football, but we changed the rules of the game to go over these things again,” Hines-Allen said after the game. “We talk about these things. We know how to play football. A few years ago that would have been a big success, but now it wasn’t a good move for him.”

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He continued: “I’m not going to sit up there and say, ‘Does he deserve to be suspended or not?’ That’s not my job at this moment. It wasn’t smart.”

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III

Griffin, 34, who played eight seasons in the NFL, responded to the hit on social media.

“Prayers for Trevor Lawrence,” the former ESPN analyst wrote on X. “There is no place in football for dirty hits like this.”

ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr

Van Natta Jr., 60, a senior writer at ESPN, called for the book to be pitched to Al-Shaair.

Azeez Al-Shair, whose cheap shot left Trevor Lawrence concussed, should be banned for the remainder of the season,” he wrote on X.

Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho

The 34-year-old Acho, who appeared in 20 games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013 and 2014, acknowledged that Al-Shaair’s goal was “illegal” – but argued there was more to the story.

“I don’t think it was a dirty hit,” Acho said Monday, Dec. 2, on FS1 The facility. “An illegal hit, not a dirty hit.”

Acho added: “Dirty to me means bad intentions. Al-Shair said he greeted Trevor Lawrence before the game. I don’t think there was any malicious intent. If Al-Shair really wanted to be dirty, he would have hit him in the (head) with his (head).”