Appeals officer Ramon Foster has upheld the three-game suspension of Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, the league announced Wednesday.
The Texans are on their off week this week, so Al-Shaair will miss games against the Dolphins, Chiefs and Ravens in Weeks 15-17. He can return for the Week 18 game against the Titans.
The NFL suspended Al-Shaair on Tuesday for what the NFL called “repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship,” including the hit to the head of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence that led to the linebacker’s ejection from Sunday’s game.
Lawrence landed on injured reserve Wednesday with a concussion, likely ending his season.
Al-Shaair has paid two fines this season. The league docked him $11,817 for punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson in Week 2 when Johnson thought Al-Shaair’s hit on Caleb Williams along the sideline was unnecessary, and Al-Shaair lost $11,255 for a hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard in Week 12.
The suspension will cost Al-Shaair three game checks of $112,745 each, totaling $338,235.
