Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson defended his team on Wednesday after a controversial brawl against the Houston Texans. The melee broke out on the field when Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence took an illegal hit on a slide by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, with tight end Evan Engram being the first player to push and shove Al-Shaair, prompting multiple other Jaguars players to join in.
Pederson denied the notion that his players were “going after” anybody, stating, “We’re not out to hurt anybody. We’re not out to ruin careers. We’re out to win a football game and play hard within the rules. That’s our job. That’s how we coach it, that’s how we play it.”
Pederson also expressed surprise that Houston coach DeMeco Ryans blamed the Jaguars’ sideline for escalating the brawl, saying, “I was a little surprised. I don’t think that’s accurate.”
Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules following his hit on Lawrence’s head, which caused the quarterback’s second concussion in less than a year. Al-Shaair also spoke out against “racist and Islamophobic fans” in the aftermath of the incident.
In a statement, Al-Shaair said, “I’ve always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone… 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… I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late.” He also apologized to Lawrence, saying, “I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening.”