Trevor Lawrence’s wife Marissa has issued a statement after her husband was brutally wiped out by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair on Sunday.
Lawrence was left laying motionless on the turf during Jacksonville’s 23-20 defeat to Houston after the vicious hit from Al-Shaair, who slammed into the Jaguars quarterback with his elbow first despite the fact he’d already slid to give himself up on the play.
The Texans defender sparked a bench-clearing brawl before he was swiftly ejected from the game, with Jaguars players left furious after his dangerous challenge on their teammate.
And in light of his hit on Lawrence, Al-Shaair has also come under fire after fans spotted a pro-Palestine message on his cleats in Sunday’s game.
Despite being carted off the field, Lawrence reassured fans on Sunday night that he is recovering well at home and ‘feeling better’.
The following morning Marissa, his wife of the last three years, released a similar message thanking fans for their support and stressing that Trevor’s health is her priority right now.
Trevor Lawrence’s wife Marissa has spoken out after Azeez Al-Shaair’s brutal hit on her husband
Lawrence was left laying motionless on the turf after Al-Shaair viciously slammed into him
‘Thank you for all of the texts and prayers,’ the Jaguars WAG wrote in a post on her Instagram story. ‘Just taking time to make sure he’s okay and get healthy but we appreciate all of the love and support.’
Trevor and Marissa first met back in 2016, before getting engaged in 2020 and tying the knot one year later.
Over the summer the loved-up couple also announced they are expecting a baby girl, which will be their first child together.
Lawrence, who recently put pen to paper on a huge five-year, $275million contract extension with the Jaguars, suffered a concussion after the illegal tackle from Al-Shaair on Sunday.
Amid the outrage, the Houston star released a statement on Monday morning stressing that he only saw Lawrence sliding when it was ‘too late’ and that he never intended to harm him on the field.
‘I’ve always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone and anybody that knows me knows that,’ Al-Shaair wrote. ‘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. And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it’s not personal it’s just competition! We both are trying to do the same thing which is provide for our families!
‘I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late. And it all happens in the blink of an eye.
Marissa, Trevor’s wife of the last three years, has thanked fans for their support on Instagram
Trevor and Marissa first met in 2016, before getting engaged in 2020 and marrying a year later
Al-Shaair, who sparked a mass brawl after the tackle, apologized to Lawrence on Monday
‘To Trevor i genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening. Before the game we spoke and I told you how it was great to see you back out on the field and wished you well. I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I put on them especially one that’s deemed “late” or “unnecessary”.
‘To the rest of his teammates I can definitely understand you having his back and defending him in a situation like that. To the rest of the people who l’ve been called every single name in the book from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villan, to racist and islamophobic fans and people, you don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you.
‘God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.’
Al-Shaair now finds himself at the center of more controversy over the political message written on his cleats.
The Tampa-born NFL star, who is a practicing muslim, had ‘Free’ written on the outside of his cleats in red and green Palestine colors, with messages written on the side.
The Texans star is also at the center of controversy over the pro-Palestine message on his cleats
On one cleat, it read: ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to him we will all return,’ while the other said: ‘At least 41,788 Palestinians killed. 10,000+ estimated to be under the rubble. 96,794 wounded.’
Taking to X, NFL fans piled in on the player for using the sport to share his political views, with one writing: ‘Ooh now I really hate him.’
Another urged the NFL to suspend him, but others defended him and wrote: ‘Religion of peace.’
A right-wing commentator, meanwhile, has demanded fans ‘boycott the NFL’ after accusing Al-Shaair of wearing a ‘pro-terrorism message’ on his cleats.
