Texans Coach Gets Backlash After Blaming Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence for Dirty Hit
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has faced notable backlash for his comments following a controversial hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. During the game, Al-Shaair delivered a late hit on Lawrence as he was sliding down, which resulted in Lawrence suffering a concussion and led to Al-Shaair being suspended for the incident.
In his defence of Al-Shaair,Ryans stated,“We stand behind Azeez,” and suggested that the incident was twofold,arguing that quarterbacks frequently enough try to leverage sliding rules to gain extra yards. He implied that the slide coudl be confusing for defenders, which may lead to unintended hits. Ryans also criticized the Jaguars’ sideline reaction to the hit, claiming they overreacted and escalated the situation to a melee, which he deemed unnecessary.
However, ryans’ remarks that lawrence and the Jaguars were partially to blame sparked outrage among fans and analysts alike, who felt he was deflecting responsibility from his player’s perilous actions. Many commentators labeled his statements as classless and undermining the NFL’s safety efforts. One notable critique from USA Today suggested that Ryans might have compromised his credibility by blaming the victim in this situation, which potentially undermines the league’s initiatives to protect players, especially quarterbacks who are often in vulnerable positions during plays like this one.
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was rebuked roundly after pointing fingers over last weekend’s hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, with none pointing at his own player.
Lawrence was running with the ball when Al-Shaair delivered a late hit after Lawrence had begun sliding to the turf. Al-Shaair has since been suspended for the hit.
“We stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that,” Ryans said in a video clip posted to social media platform X. “Of course, the unfortunate hit on the quarterback. But it’s also – it’s twofold, right?”
DeMeco Ryans defends Azeez Al-Shaair and blasts the Jacksonville Jaguars for their overreaction after Al-Shaair’s hit on Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/PcbGRQdLdK
— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) December 2, 2024
“I mean 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, and now you’re a defender, a lot of onus is on the defender, right? Whether it’s on the sideline or whether it’s on the quarterback, you don’t know what a guy’s thinking,” Ryans said.
“You don’t know if a guy is standing up and he’s continuing to run, you don’t know, and then you get a late slide, and you’re – you know, you hit the guy,” he said.
Having covered DeMeco Ryans in his 6 seasons with the Texans, I’ll guarantee you if Matt Schaub had been hit like that close to the Texans’ bench, Ryans would have been all over the perpetrator to defend his QB.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) December 2, 2024
“Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. Hope Trevor is OK, but it’s also, if we’re sliding, we have to get down,” he said.
“If we’re getting out of bounds, we get out of bounds and that rule is there to protect the quarterbacks, and we want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league, so we just have to be safe. If we’re sliding, make sure we’re keeping our heads down,” he said.
Demeco Ryan, you’re a 🤡 for blaming Trevor Lawrence. I get standing behind your players, but your job is to support them and teach them. What message does this send? @DRyans59
— Steve Hill (@ECUUberLyft) December 3, 2024
“And the entire thing, you know, is Azeez – he hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts, and it turns into a melee. It wasn’t our guys. It’s their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline, so that’s uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sidelines, as well, with both teams,” he said.
DeMeco Ryans defending his guy is one thing but saying the Jaguars “overreacted” to the hit on Trevor Lawrence is beyond absurd. If C.J. Stroud was hit like that on Houston’s sideline….. https://t.co/ajFw48EoOC
— Kainani Stevens (@KainaniStevens) December 2, 2024
The comments were attacked by many on X, including Paul Higham, who called the remarks “Absolute garbage from Demeco Ryans.”
“Blaming Trevor Lawrence for awful cheap shot on him, saying Jags overreacted & backing his man Azeez. It was a cowardly hit on a QB (sliding properly) – Ryan’s classless in response,” he posted on X.
Absolute garbage from Demeco Ryans
Blaming Trevor Lawrence for awful cheap shot on him, saying Jags overreacted & backing his man Azeez
It was a cowardly hit on a QB (sliding properly) – Ryans classless in response#NFL pic.twitter.com/WlDLfKgbaz
— Paul Higham (@SportsPaulH) December 3, 2024
In an Op-Ed for USA Today, Jarrett Bell wrote that with his comments, “Ryans has undermined his own credibility.”
“Rather than making a statement in the name of safety, Ryans has, intentionally or not, made a mockery of the NFL’s efforts to protect defenseless players,” he wrote, adding that Ryans “blamed the victim.”
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