Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is issuing a mea culpa to Trevor Lawrence over his controversial hit on Sunday ... saying he never intended to hurt the Jaguars quarterback -- and calling out "racist" and "Islamophobic" fans in the process.
The 27-year-old released the statement on X ... claiming while he always plays with intensity, he doesn't purposely try to take anyone out of competition.
"My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you're still able to get up and play the next play," he said.