It started, as these things often do, with a small piece of equipment most fans barely notice. A strip of eye black. A few words written on it. But for Houston Texans‘ Azeez Al-Shaair, that small gesture has become something much bigger, a recurring standoff with the league that’s already cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
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The latest instance comes from Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. NFL rulebook doesn’t leave much room for personal messages on game day. However, Azeez Al-Shaair found that out the hard way.
“Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was told by an NFL official to remove the name of Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, from his eye black during the Texans’ Week 2 game, or he would not be allowed to continue playing,” The Athletic reported on X.
According to Reuters, Wafaa Akila was an 8-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed alongside her father in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike on September 6, 2026—her scheduled first day of school.
However, the NFL has historically enforced strict uniform guidelines mid-game, previously telling players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry to change non-conforming cleats at halftime or risk being pulled from the field. Hence, a similar rule applied to Al-Shaair as well.
Once a league official delivered the ultimatum, comply or be barred from continuing to play, Al-Shaair chose to remove the tape so he could remain on the field. So, he was not issued a second fine for Week 2. However, this isn’t the first time the Texans linebacker found himself in such a situation.
During the Texans’ 30-6 AFC Wild Card playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Al-Shaair wore eye black inscribed with the words “Stop the genocide”. While the message didn’t mention a specific region, it was widely recognized as advocacy regarding the mass civilian casualties in Gaza and Sudan.
The NFL eventually fined him $11,593 for violating league rules regarding unauthorized personal or political statements on player gear. However, the very next week Al-Shaair garnered attention with a similar act.
During pregame warmups for the AFC Divisional round against the New England Patriots, Al-Shaair wore the exact same “Stop the genocide” eye black. But the game officials came into action and explicitly warned the 29-year-old linebacker that he would face immediate disqualification and not be allowed to take the field if he kept it on.
Like the recent Week 2 incident, Al-Shaair complied and removed it before kickoff. But the season opener of the 2026 season saw a similar incident yet again.
When the Houston Texans came out to face the Buffalo Bills on September 13, Azeez Al-Shaair wrote “Hind Rajab” on his eye black tape. Hind Rajab was reportedly a 5-year-old Palestinian girl whose tragic death occurred in Gaza City – after being trapped in a vehicle under fire from Israeli forces.
While the league issued a $11,941 fine, Al-Shaair came out publicly and defended his stance to reporters.
“What’s a life worth?” Al-Shaair said. “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.
“As human beings, because we all have our own issues and things that we’re going through, [you] can get so lost in your own problems that you can’t have compassion for other people in the world.”
However, as for the Week 2 incident, Azeez Al-Shaair is yet to clarify what he meant by wearing an eye black with “Wafaa Akila” written on it.