Tom Brady Blames Trevor Lawrence for Getting Hurt on Illegal Hit

Tom Brady offered his unique perspective on the illegal hit that concussed Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, saying he had “mixed emotions” about the controversial incident. 

“The quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves,” Brady, 47, argued Tuesday, December 3 on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. 

The former Patriots legend continued, “When you run you put yourself in a lot of danger. When you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense.”

Lawrence, 25, was sliding to the ground when he was hit by Houston Texans’ linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair on Sunday, December 1. Al-Shaair, 27, was suspended for three games for the hit on Tuesday, December 3. Lawrence was carted off the field and later diagnosed with a concussion. 

“Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it is also the reality of a very physical sport that we play,” Brady contended. “Defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature. I always try to be aggressive on offense. We tried to block aggressively. At the same time, the defense tries to tackle aggressively.”

Brady, who officially retired in February 2023 after a 23-season NFL career, noted how the mobility of quarterbacks has changed in recent years. 

“I see [Buffalo Bills quarterback] Josh Allen run a lot, I see [Baltimore Ravens quarterback] Lamar Jackson run a lot,” Brady said. “It’s a great skill set to have. A lot of times I wish I had that skill set.”

Brady harkened back to a memory from his early playing days that was eerily similar to the one involving Lawrence. 

“I remember in 2001, I think we played at Buffalo,” Brady recalled. “I slid late and Nate Clements was the [cornerback] for the Bills and he came up out of the secondary and absolutely crushed me. My helmet went flying off.”

Brady continued, “I had a lot of teammates that came up to me the next day and said, ‘Dude, these guys are coming. You gotta get rid of that football. And if you slide, you better get down. These guys are coming to get you.’”

Ultimately, Brady called the hit “a great learning experience for me because I realized when I’m out of that pocket, things were moving a lot faster for me.”

After Lawrence left the game, he offered fans an optimistic update about his health on social media. 

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me,” he wrote via X on Sunday evening. “I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all🙌🏻.”

Lawrence was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, December 4, likely ending his season.