Texans GM Nick Caserio Calls NFL Suspension Of Al-Shaair 'Embarrassing' And 'Bull--t'

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio is fired up about the NFL's three-game suspension of his linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to the point he's "embarrassed" by the league's handling of the matter and calls the portrayal of his player "bulls--t."

"We're going to say Azeez Al-Shaair, nobody embodies our program more than Azeez," Caserio told reporters on Tuesday. "What he's about, what he's been through, you all know his story. There's not a more selfless individual who's more about the team, who's earned the respect, that represents everything we want this program to be about. I mean, this morning, he's at a United Way event.

"So some of the commentary that's been made about his character, who he is and what his intentions are, from people who quite frankly don't know anything about Azeez Al-Shaair. And for the league to make some of the commentary he made about lack of sportsmanship, lack of coachability, lack of paying attention to the rules, quite frankly, it's embarrassing."

Umbrage To NFL Al-Shaair Portrayal

Caserio was referring to the third paragraph of the suspension letter NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan sent to Al-Shaair in announcing his three-game suspension.

"What we take umbrage to is the picture that's been painted about Azeez, his intentions, who he is as a person, I mean quite frankly, it's bulls--t," Caserio said. "And it's unfair to the individual. It's unfair to the organization … To speak about Azeez's intentionality, what he intended to do and some of the comments that have been made, quite frankly, it's embarrassing." 

"That essentially implies Azeez doesn't give a crap about the fans, doesn't give a crap about playing football the right way, is not coachable. It couldn't be further from the truth, but when you make these statements and accusations and then you paint a picture of a player, quite frankly, nobody has a lot of respect for that."

To be clear: Caserio portrays his player as a volunteer on his off days and a great team leader and all that is true. Al-Shaair is a team captain on the Texans.

But he's also earned a reputation for questionable tactics. Al-Shaair escaped ejection and suspension but was fined $11,817 for unnecessary roughness against Bears running back Roschon Johnson in Week 2. He punched Johnson.

And this:

Caserio Upset By NFL ‘Consistency’

The NFL clearly took Al-Shaair's history into account when handing out the three-game suspension. But Casario contends the NFL is being inconsistent in its punishment.

"One of the biggest issues, and I probably speak for a lot of teams, not only Houston Texans, is all teams ask for is consistency from the league,"Caserio said. "And I'd say in this situation, quite frankly, there's no consistency at all relative to the level of discipline that's been handed down.

Caserio in his press conference then went through multiple examples of players who were flagged for unnecessary roughness then ejected from games.

Detroit's Brian Branch was ejected earlier this season in a game against Green Bay. He played the following week.

Chargers safety Derwin James was suspended one game in September for repeated violations of the playing rules.

Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) slides down in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) in the second quarter in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Kareem Jackson Got Steeper Punishment

Denver's Kareem Jackson was ejected from multiple games and suspended twice in 2023. Caserio brought him up as an example of how the NFL has treated other players with leniency but, in fact, Jackson was suspended for four games – twice. 

Jackson appealed the first suspension, and it was subsequently reduced to two games. But when he returned to the Broncos lineup, he was flagged and ejected again during his first game back and then served a four-game suspension.

The Jackson example does not serve Caserio's argument of inconsistency by the NFL at all.

"I think the big thing from our standpoint, and all teams want this, is some level of consistency," Caserio said. "We talked to the league, quite frankly, we don't have a good explanation. DeMeco [Ryans] talked to them yesterday, so it is what it is."