Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined $11,817 by the NFL for punching Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson, according to KPRC2 Sports Aaron Wilson.
The news was later confirmed by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
According to Wilson, Al-Shaair does not plan to appeal the fine.
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During the third quarter, Al-Shaair delivered what was ruled to be a clean hit on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Before he could head back to the huddle, he was surrounded by a bunch of orange jerseys, including the second-year running back from Port-Neches.
While there was no late hit called against Al-Shaair, he did throw a punch toward Johnson. The veteran linebacker wasn’t penalized or ejected in the Texans’ 19-13 victory, but the league planned on fining him after further review.
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Johnson, a former star at Texas, tweeted after the game, “It took every bit of my soul not to thrash that boy.”
Al-Shaair told reporters postgame that he expected to hear from the league office later in the week.
“I understand that’s not acceptable. That’s obviously not who I’m trying to be or anything like that,” Al-Shaair told reporters. “I’m not trying to be some fake tough guy. I’ve played in this league going on six years and I haven’t had anything like that happen. For that to happen on national television, it’s not my proudest moment. I take full accountability in that aspect.”
The Texans take on the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday at noon CT.
