Houston Texans

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's three-game suspension for his brutal hit on Trevor Lawrence is over ... and the the six-year NFL veteran revealed he met with commissioner Roger Goodell and other league higher-ups to own up to his actions and defend his character while serving his punishment.

The 27-year-old released a statement on X ahead of Houston's Week 18 matchup against the Tennessee Titans ... in which he stated his play on the former No. 1 overall pick and the fight that ensued "was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me."

"That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment."

Struggling to come up with food ideas for Beyoncé's Christmas Day halftime show? Fear not ... celeb chef Andrew Zimmern is offering up some snack hacks to help you crush it at the Dec. 25 party!!

The host of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" tells TMZ Sports ... the real key is variety.

According Zimmern, there will be two types of people at Yoncé's concert -- ones who will be glued to the TV ... and the others who will enjoy the audio while making their way to the food table.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell won't play again this season -- and he might miss 2025 too -- as his coach just revealed he sustained a dislocated knee and a torn ACL during Saturday's game against the Chiefs.

DeMeco Ryans just announced the news to media members ... explaining Dell also damaged "some other things" in his knee after he collided with his teammate following a touchdown catch in the loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

Ryans said Dell will have surgery soon -- and while there's been no timeline for a return just yet, the injury usually takes a full year to come back from.

Texans wide receiver Tank Dell had to be carted off the field Saturday ... after suffering a bad injury while catching a touchdown pass.

The Houston standout was playing in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs ... running a deep route into the endzone early in the second half of the game.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a perfect pass to Dell, falling right into his arms ... but, his teammate Jared Wayne was right next to him and dove for the ball -- his body slamming full force into Dell's leg.

Taylor Swift is feeling the holiday spirit ... dressing up in a bright red furry coat while arriving at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to support her man.

The singer-songwriter pulled up to the Chiefs game against the Houston Texans just a little while ago ... stepping out of the customary golf cart looking like Mrs. Claus in the coat and black bucket hat.

She looks real warm in her ensemble ... good news since it's currently just 33 degrees in Kansas City -- and expected to get even chillier as the day goes on.

NFL fans looking to Texas Hold some Beyoncé-themed cocktails during her halftime performance on Christmas Day are in luck ... TMZ Sports has learned Houston will be selling drinks with Yoncé flair in honor of her much-anticipated show.

Aramark Sports + Entertainment -- which has provided football fanatics with goodies at Texans games throughout this season -- tells us four specialty drinks paying homage to Beyoncé will be available for purchase at NRG Stadium during Houston's Dec. 25 tilt with the Ravens.

The first is called the "Texan Honey" -- and it's a mix of whiskey, lemon juice, honey syrup and ginger beer that will all come mixed in a souvenir cup.

Travis Kelce won't be able to spend his entire Christmas roasting chestnuts on an open fire with Taylor Swift, but he doesn't mind working on the holiday ... saying he's grateful to suit up whenever, wherever the NFL sends 'em!

The Chiefs tight end talked about the team's upcoming stretch with bro Jason Kelce on their "New Heights" podcast ... and while he acknowledges his body is not as excited for the short rest between games, he's excited for it.

"I just know I'm just so fortunate to play this game," Trav said. "I'm gonna cherish every time I get to play on the field. I'm not gonna harp on that schedule that was given to us."

The Miami Dolphins gave out some good news on Monday morning on inured wide receiver Grant DuBose ... saying he has movement in all of his extremities -- although he still remains in the hospital.

Dubose was hurt in the third quarter of the Fins' Sunday morning tilt with the Texans ... when defensive back Calen Bullock drilled him in the head just as he was trying to haul in a pass from Tua Tagaovailoa.

DuBose laid motionless for several minutes ... and the scene was horrifying -- as trainers appeared to cut off his jersey before they strapped him to a backboard and transported him to a nearby hospital.

The NFL has closed its latest investigation into sexual assault accusations made against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson earlier this season, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

We're told the league found insufficient evidence to prove a personal conduct policy violation took place ... and the matter is now a thing of the past.

The 29-year-old signal-caller -- whose season ended after he tore his Achilles back in Week 7 -- was hit with a lawsuit in September ... with a woman claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2020.

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair says if people want to make him a bad guy, he'll show them a bad guy ... sharing a message about going full "villain" mode after his suspension was upheld.

The NFL announced Al-Shaair's appeal was denied on Wednesday ... meaning he will serve his full three-game ban for his controversial hit on Trevor Lawrence during Sunday's game, which ultimately landed the quarterback on Injured Reserve.

Shortly after the league's decision was made public, Al-Shaair went to social media to weigh in ... and while he initially apologized for the entire incident on Monday, he's no longer trying to defend his name -- instead, he's leaning into the new narrative.

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio is sticking up for Azeez Al-Shaair following his controversial hit on Trevor Lawrence ... saying the NFL "embarrassed" itself with how it handled the incident.

Caserio met with reporters Tuesday morning ... and took issue with not only the three-game suspension handed down hours ago -- but also how the Shield took aim at Al-Shaair's character in a letter written by VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan.

"For the league to make some of the commentary that he made about lack of sportsmanship, lack of coachability, lack of paying attention to the rules, quite frankly, it's embarrassing," Caserio said.

The NFL just threw the book at Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair for his Sunday hit on Trevor Lawrence ... suspending him without pay for THREE GAMES.

The league made its ruling official on Tuesday morning ... saying his past offenses for "personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations" factored into the decision.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan scolded the Houston linebacker in a strongly-worded letter when announcing the ban for lowering his shoulder and hitting Lawrence in the head as the Jaguars QB was sliding during their weekend tilt in Jacksonville.

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. "And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it's not personal it's just competition!"

Peyton Manning wasn't all that impressed with Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul .... 'cause the Hall of Fame signal-caller took a shot at the fight during the Cowboys-Texans "Monday Night Football" game!

The roasting happened during the "ManningCast" ... when a skirmish broke out in the first quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Bill Belichick, a weekly guest on the show, mentioned the stadium hosted a big fight on Friday ... Tyson vs. Paul, which went down at Jerry's World, too.

Manning laughed ... and offered this quip back.

AT&T Stadium is undergoing some changes after all -- but its got nothing to do with a tarp blocking the sun -- 'cause a massive piece of roof fell ahead of the Texans-Cowboys Monday Night Football game.

It happened on Monday afternoon as the retractable domed roof was opening a couple of hours before kickoff in Arlington, TX ... so fans could enjoy the night sky for the first time in two years.

Unfortunately, while the roof was opening, a humongous piece from the roof fell ... which was then documented by several reporters who shared photos and video of the big hunk of sheet metal as it lay on the sidelines.

Thankfully, no one was injured.