Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair backed down from a second attempt to display a pro-Palestinian message on his eyeblack during a game last week, after an NFL official warned he would be pulled from the field if he refused to remove it, according to an NFL source cited by OutKick.
Al-Shaair had appeared for warmups before the Texans’ Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals with the name of Wafaa Akila, a Palestinian girl, written on his eyeblack. The inscription was still visible when the game started, but a league official soon noticed it and told the Texans and Al-Shaair that he had to take it off or be removed from the contest entirely, the source said. Al-Shaair complied and finished the game without any writing on his eyeblack.
The NFL bars players from displaying personal messages on game days. Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 in Week 1 for writing the name of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl killed during an Israeli bombing in Gaza, on his eyeblack. He did not appeal that fine.
Money does not appear to be a deterrent for Al-Shaair, who signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension in April. Asked about the Week 1 fine, he told reporters, “What’s a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? I think it’s priceless. So, to sit there and say that, ‘Oh man, the money’ and whatever, that wasn’t relevant to me.”
This is not the first time Al-Shaair has run afoul of the league’s messaging rules. In January, while with a different eyeblack inscription reading “Stop the Genocide,” he was fined $11,593.
A League-Wide Policy, Not a Personal Crackdown
The NFL has long prohibited players from using their uniforms, eyeblack or cleats to broadcast personal messages, regardless of the cause. The league has previously warned other players who pushed the boundary. Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was told before Super Bowl XX in 1986 that he could not wear a headband bearing a message. More recently, players including Maxx Crosby, Odell Beckham Jr. and A.J. Brown have been told to change out of personalized cleats or risk being pulled from games. Last week, Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei’Trel Clark was fined for writing “Glory B 2 God” on his eyeblack.
The Texans play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and the league is expected to continue monitoring Al-Shaair’s eyeblack during pregame warmups and throughout the game.
