Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady believes Trevor Lawrence is partially accountable for the hit from Azeez Al-Shaair hit that left the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback concussed in Sunday’s game.
In the second quarter of the Jaguars-Houston Texans contest, Trevor Lawrence took a vicious hit to the head from Azeez Al-Shaair as he was giving himself up and sliding near the first down marker.
Al-Shaair was ejected from the game, and the league announced a three-game suspension for him on Wednesday. Lawrence was diagnosed with a concussion and did not return to the contest, which Houston won 23-20.
During his appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”, Tom Brady stated he has “mixed emotions” on the hit. Brady also believes that Lawrence could have done a better job to protect himself and avoid the collision with Al-Shaair.
“Defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature…the defense tries to tackle aggressively. There’s an aspect to me that I think, the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves.
I see Josh Allen running a lot, I see Lamar Jackson running a lot. And it’s a great skill set to have…and at the same time, when you run, you put yourself in a lot of danger. And when you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t really think that’s fair to the defense.”
Brady cited a vicious hit he took from Nate Clements in the New England Patriots-Buffalo Bills 2001 game. The hit popped off Brady’s helmet, and his teammates immediately warned him to take better care of himself.
Additionally, the seven-time Super Bowl champion stated that offensive coordinators need to do a better job protecting their quarterbacks with their play-calling.
Trevor Lawrence announced on X/Twitter after the game that he was doing just fine. But with T-Law also nursing a shoulder injury, there’s a strong possibility that he’ll be shut down for the rest of the season.
Tom Brady Makes Some Good Points On Trevor Lawrence Hit
Make no mistake, Al-Shaiir’s hit on the $275 million quarterback was vicious and entirely unnecessary. And this wasn’t his first instance of delivering a cheap hot hit to a defenseless player.
But Tom Brady is also right in that the quarterbacks have to take extra precaution, especially when they’re running the football. Lawrence has the ability to run, but like all quarterbacks, it’s that much safer if he can avoid as many hits and tackles as possible.
