The NFL acted swiftly earlier this month when Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence sustained a season-ending concussion at the end of a slide intended to protect him from violent contact.
The league ejected Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for the hit, suspended him for three games and then saw the discipline upheld on appeal by an arbitrator selected jointly with the NFL Players Association.
The verdict was clear. Al-Shaair's hit in Week 13 violated the NFL rulebook, which prohibits a defender from making forcible contact to the head or neck area of any ball carrier who is sliding.