The long Thanksgiving weekend is easily one of the best few days for football fans. It starts with a stacked NFL schedule on Thanksgiving Day, followed by a couple of days of heated college rivalries, and ends with the rest of the regular NFL games on Sunday and Monday night. This year's football festivities were particularly exciting and included everything from on-the-field brawls to games with eight overtimes to controversial political messages.
As a big University of Georgia fan and alum, I have to start with the highlight of my weekend. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets came to Athens on Friday night to participate in some "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" against my beloved Georgia Bulldogs. While the Bulldogs lead the series that dates back to the 19th century 72–41–5, I was a little nervous this year. We haven't played our best this season, and I will begrudgingly admit that the nerds at Tech have been pretty good. Initially, it looked like my fears would become a reality, and to be honest, I was ready to turn it off by the fourth quarter. It's been a stressful week for me, and the last thing I wanted to do was watch my team lose. But the Bulldogs managed to tie it up in the end, and the game went into overtime. Eight overtimes, to be exact, with my Dawgs finally pulling off the win 44-42.
After the emotional game, head coaches Kirby Smart and Brent Key, who played each other during their own college football days, hugged it out on the field. A few other college teams weren't so civil. Several fights broke out over the weekend, but the most notable one probably happened in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State was the obvious favorite to win their annual match vs. the University of Michigan — they're ranked number two in College Football Playoff rankings — but Michigan, which isn't even in the top 25, came to play. The Wolverines beat the Buckeyes at home 13-10.
After the game, Michigan players attempted to plant their flag in the middle of field and what happened afterward you have to see for yourself:
I haven't seen moves like that since my Aunt Barbara fought an old lady in Walmart for the last air fryer back in 2019. Other flag-inspired scuffles broke out after in-state rivalry games between the Florida State Seminoles and the University of Florida Gators and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the North Carolina State Wolfpack, and the guys who play for the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech got into it before the game.
But the most controversial moment of the weekend came from the NFL in a Sunday game between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made an illegal hit on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion for Lawrence and an ejection from the game for Al-Shaair. Many have called for the NFL to suspend the linebacker, who has a history of dirty on-the-field behavior. But a lot of the outcry had more to do with his shoes than what he did to Lawrence.
Al-Shaair has been wearing cleats with the controversial message "Free Palestine" written on the side for several weeks now. According to Chron.com, the cleats also say "at least 41,788 Palestinians killed," "96,794 wounded," and "Surely to Allah we belong and to him we will all return." But he told the Chron that the message wasn't meant to be partisan. "On either side, people losing their life is not right. In no way, shape, or form am I validating anything that happened, but to consistently say that because of [Oct. 7] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it's crazy," he said.
Al-Shaair is a Muslim who isn't quiet about his faith. While he grew up in Tampa, Fla., he also spent time in Saudi Arabia as a child, where his father worked as an English teacher. And the cleats were sanctioned by the NFL as part of their "My Cause My Cleats" program, which allows players to pick a cause important to them and showcase it on their footwear. His particular cause is the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. He's also a member of the Athletes For Ceasefire organization and is reported as the only active member from the NFL.
Even so, the combination of the political message and nasty hit on Lawrence, who is an outspoken Christian, didn't sit right with football fans. "Send him to Gaza," many posted on X. Others called the NFL to suspend him for the rest of the season. Some even surmised that the move was intentional due to Lawrence's faith. Then there were those who complained about the hypocrisy of the NFL, as the league recently fined 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa for wearing a MAGA hat during a postgame interview but seemingly allowed Al-Shaair to make a political statement.
Al-Shaair issued an apology on Instagram today, though he also called out "reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villain" and "racist and Islamophobic fans."
"I've always played the game as hard as I could," he began before apologizing to Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars team. He ended the message by saying, "God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart. ALL PRAISE TO ALLAH."
While the NFL is still reviewing the matter, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Al-Shaair will likely receive some type of suspension.
It is now anticipated that Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair will be suspended for the hit that he delivered Sunday to Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. The only question is for how long. pic.twitter.com/P8phFecS02
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 2, 2024
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