Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair took to X to apologize to Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence after his violent blow to the quarterback’s facemask led to him being carted off the field with a concussion.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the field and later ruled out with a concussion after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a late, hard hit while Lawrence was sliding in the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup.

Jaguars TE Evan Engram on a hit by Houston Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair that knocked QB Trevor Lawrence out of Sunday’s 23-20 Texas victory with a concussion: “It was a dirty hit, obviously…”

No one wants to see any player take a vicious hit like the one that knocked Trevor Lawrence out of the game. It’s easy to agree on that point. Eliminating violent shots is the hard part. The NFL has instituted several rules to protect quarterbacks but football is a physical sport and players have to react instantly and make split-second decisions going at high speeds so injuries keep occurring.

The Texans linebacker said, "I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late. And it all happens in the blink of an eye."

Former NFL football players, media and fans reacted strongly to the hit by Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the field after taking a violent elbow to the facemask from Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair apologized for his hit that knocked Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of Sunday's 23-20 win.