NFL threatened Texans star over polarizing eye black with Palestine reference

The NFL reportedly threatened to remove Azeez Al-Shaair from last week’s game if he didn’t remove his pro-Palestinian eye black. The Texans linebacker opened the Week 2 game against the Bengals with the name of Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in an Israeli air strike last week, under his eyes, before taking it off mid-game, according to a report from The Athletic . A week prior, Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 for writing “Hind Rajab,” another Palestinian girl who was killed in January 2024, beneath his eyes during a loss to the Bills and keeping it in postgame interviews. Houston Texans’ Azeez al-Shaair (0) warms up prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Sunday, September 20, 2026. Getty Images It was the second time he was fined by the league for displaying a political message on the field after writing “Stop the Genocide” on his eye black last January. He was dinged $11,593. This time around, Al-Shaair wasn’t fined, per the outlet. Explore More Tim Tebow makes big decision in his relationship with Christian group after bombshell expose Justin Verlander shares emotional Tigers retirement moment with wife Kate Upton Air Force One does majestic flyover before Trump attends highly anticipated Texas-Tennessee game League rules prohibit players from displaying personal messages on game days, including pregame warmups and postgame interviews, without advance approval from the league. Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, has long been outspoken about the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Houston Texans’ Azeez al-Shaair (0) reacts in a team huddle prior to an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Sept. 20, 2026. Getty Images “I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be almost silenced,” Al-Shaair told the Houston Chronicle during the 2024 season. “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, 2023] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy. “[Other people] try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there. And it’s like, they’re human beings. Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, white, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.” Al-Shaair isn’t the first player to be fined by the league for expressing political messages through equipment. In 2024, 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa was fined for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat as he crashed a postgame interview weeks before the 2024 election.