Houston Texans Linebacker Suspended for Vicious Hit on Trevor Lawrence Defiant in Bonkers Social Media Response: ‘I’ll Be Your Villain’
Peter Joneleit/AP
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair appeared defiant in a social media post made after the NFL upheld the suspension for his hit on Trevor Lawrence.
Al-Shaair on Tuesday was officially suspended for three games for the illegal hit that took Lawrence out of the game for a concussion. The next day, Lawrence was placed on injured reserved — effectively ending his season.
The 27-year-old initially published a statement Monday to apologize to Lawrence. Part of that statement included criticisms levied against fans for their “Islamophobic” attacks against him. He claimed he did not intend to harm the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback.
On Wednesday, however, his tune was much different. Al-Shaair attempted to appeal the suspension, but the league upheld it. Shortly after the league’s decision, Al-Shaair posted a defiant tweet featuring the comic book character the Joker.
“IF YOU WANT ME TO BE YOUR VILLAIN, ILL BE YOUR VILLAIN!” Al-Shaair said. “SEE YOU SOON”
Included in the tweet was a photo of himself at the start of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars; a photo of his cleats — which had the message “Free Palestine” on them — and photo of actor Joaquin Phoenix in the movie Joker.
A fourth image was simply a quote that read, “There is a beauty in being rejected, misunderstood, unseen and unprotected by people. It teaches you to rely on Allah for everything.”
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