NFL Rumors: Azeez Al-Shaair Suspension Seen as 'Ridiculous,' 'Excessive' by Insiders

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's three-game suspension for his illegal hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is not sitting right with many people around the NFL.

ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin reported on Wednesday morning's episode of Get Up that "there are people in the NFL, players and coaches and execs who played in college, played the league, who feel like the suspension was excessive, and feel like the suspension was ridiculous."

Al-Shaair delivered a tough hit on Lawrence as he slid to the ground after a scramble, making contact with his head and causing the signal-caller to suffer a concussion. The Texans and Jaguars had a brief skirmish after the play, with Al-Shaair defiantly fighting back without showing much remorse for Lawrence before being ejected from the game.

As part of the announcement of Al-Shaair's suspension on Tuesday, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote a scathing letter addressing the six-year veteran directly, stating, in part, "Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL. ... Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated."

Texans general manager Nick Caserio ripped the league for the letter, telling reporters, "Quite frankly, it's bulls--t."

Caserio isn't alone in his feelings, as Martin pointed out that many around the league feel that this situation "brings to the forefront how people feel like you can't play defense anymore." Quarterbacks have routinely taken advantage of the rules that protect them by sliding late or tip-toeing the sidelines in hopes of drawing a late hit that results in a penalty against the defense.

"One defensive player I spoke to said, QBs are testing the limits," Martin explained. "I had an NFL head coach tell me if this had been a regular, no-name quarterback, this would not have been the outcome. And then you have one GM saying, you know, you cannot play defense and this is the problem."

The ongoing issue is affecting how defensive coaches teach the game because Al-Shaair's suspension shows that there isn't much leeway being given to defensive players.

"I talked to a defense coordinator yesterday who was like, listen, we teach our guys how to hit and we talk about we identify the QBs who slide, we talk about the ones who don't," Martin added. "And we tell our guys to still be physical, try to be violent within the rules, but the rules are skewed towards offensive players and it sucks."