Getty
Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans celebrates against the Buffalo Bills.
The Houston Texans are celebrating getting C.J. Stroud back in Week 13, as they prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts. However, there remained unsettled fallout from the Texans’ win over the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 12, particularly involving Azeez Al-Shaair.
The Texans earned a surprising win, defeating the Bills and reigning MVP Josh Allen at home in NRG Stadium in Week 13, and without Stroud no less.
They were also involved in a particularly costly play for one individual.
Bills FB Reggie Gilliam Fined Over Block on Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair
GettyReggie Gilliam #41 of the Buffalo Bills looks on against the Chicago Bears.
The Texans defeated the Bills 23-19, as Al-Shaair and the defense harassed Josh Allen to the tune of 8 sacks. That set a new career-high for the Pro Bowl QB.
However, with 1:48 to go in the first quarter, and the Bills backed up against their own goal line, fullback Reggie Gilliam went out to block on a play. Gilliam caught Al-Shaair in the facemask/helmet with the crown of his own headgear. No flags were thrown.
Still, Gilliam received an $11,111 fine for “unneccessary roughness” over what the league determined was illegal “use of the helmet,” per the Football Operations portal on November 29.
“It is a foul if a player (a) lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent; or (b) uses any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck,” According to the NFL rules. “These provisions do not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle or block on an opponent.”
Notably, while the NFL fined Gilliam for a penalty that was not called, he also received a break.
The NFL lists the minimum fine for such an infraction at $23,186 for first-time instances and $46,371 for second offenses. There is no explanation provided publicly for why Gilliam’s fine was below the supposed minimum.
The in-game penalty is worth 15 yards if incurred by an offensive player. The stakes are even higher for defensive players, who are subject to targeting defenseless player violations.
They can be disqualified, i.e., ejected, if they are found culpable.
DeMeco Ryans Praised Azeez Al-Shaair
GettyAzeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans reacts after a tackle against the Denver Broncos.
Al-Shaair, an undrafted free agent out of FAU with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, is in Year 2 with the Texans. He is a two-time captain. He has also been on the wrong side of the NFL’s punishment decisions. Al-Shaair has even noted inconsistencies in how things are called.
There is no denying what he means to the Texans, though. That is especially true for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. Ryans was an assistant with the 49ers when Al-Shaair was a rookie.
Ryans called Al-Shaair the “heartbeat” and “glue” of the team.
“He keeps this thing together. Without him, I’m not sure where we would be. Without his leadership, without his mindset, how he shows up every single day, the passion that he brings, the wisdom that he brings to the locker room, out on the field,” Ryans said on November 13.
“I can’t say enough great things about Azeez. I just – I love the person. Who he is and how he’s grown and matured, and I’m thankful that he’s here in our locker room. Of course, I love the player and love the mentality. But the locker room, the man that he is and what he stands for, what he represents, there’s not a better guy. I would say in this league than Azeez.”
Al-Shaair is under contract with the Texans through 2026 on a three-year, $34 million pact.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
More Heavy on Texans
Loading more stories
