Azeez Al-Shaair suspension: Cowboys’ Micah Parsons feels NFL made a statement, wants clarity on QB slide rule

FRISCO, Texas — The NFL’s three-game suspension of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for his hit on sliding Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence caught the entire league’s attention. 

That means their mission was accomplished, according to Dallas Cowboys three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. 

“I don’t know how they came up with the three games but I don’t know how warnings go or anything like that,” Parsons said Thursday of Al-Shaair’s three-game suspension. “If there was like a warning or if he had prior references to late hits or anything like that. I don’t know his history.”

Al-Shaair punched Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson in Week 2 and hit former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, now with the Tennessee Titans, late in Week 12 this season. He was fined $11,817 for fighting Johnson in Week 2 this year as well $10,927 for a violent facemask penalty on Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Chase Edmonds in Week 10 last year. When told Al-Shaair had been fined multiple times by the NFL, Parsons understood the methodology behind the NFL’s disciplinary decision. 

“So that probably determines it. I guess history plays a part in it,” Parsons said. “You know they want to make a lesson, or the league, sometimes they want to make statements on players. So it kind of is what it is.”

However, the suspension won’t alter the way Parsons attacks opposing quarterbacks since he claimed his on-field aggression lasts purely between the whistles to start and end a play. 

“I just play the game the right way. You know what I mean?  I’m not late-hitting nobody, I’m not trying to hurt nobody. I’m just here to make plays, you know?” Parsons said. “So you just play the game the right way, full speed, and kind of just making sure you ain’t landing on QBs. You’re pretty much good anywhere else.”

That doesn’t mean he is happy with the way the NFL officiates quarterbacks sliding or stepping out of bounds. Parsons singled out three-time Super Bowl MVP Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ penchant to sprint down the sidelines, which sometimes results in drawing late hit/unnecessary roughness penalties, as a problematic play for defenders around the league. Mahomes has also faked stepping out of bounds this season against the San Francisco 49ers before ripping off more yards and staying in bounds, another play Parsons took issue with because his point was that defenders are afraid to hit quarterbacks hard if they indicate they’re ending a play on their own accord. Taking advantage of that reality comes across as unfair to Parsons, who plays in a league whose rules are inarguably favorable toward offenses and scoring points. 

“I just think the NFL should do a better job clearing up the gray area,” Parsons said. “If a quarterback acts like he’s going out of bounds, he should go out of bounds, that’s where you should mark him at. If he’s acting like he’s going to slide, that’s where you should mark him at. Because at that point, it’s the contact issue. You see a lot of guys taking advantage and getting extra yards off that. [Patrick] Mahomes wins games off that. We can’t act like these aren’t game-changing opportunities and plays that they’re extending drives on. So those are momentum changers. They definitely have to clear up the gray area because it’s just a tough situation. He is seeing the quarterback running full speed, and yes he’s trying to slow down, but he could slow down and make a cut move. You just never know. There’s so many mobile quarterbacks in the NFL right now.”