Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined nearly $12,000 after wearing eye black with the message “stop the genocide” written on it during the team’s wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Al-Shaair was fined under the league’s uniform and equipment rules, which prohibit players from displaying personal or political messages unless those messages have been approved in advance by the NFL.
The fine, however, didn’t stop Al-Shaair completely. He was spotted with the same message on his eye black ahead of Sunday’s 28-16 loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round, according to ESPN, but was seen later in the game with it removed. Al-Shaair confirmed the fine after the game, and said that he was told he had to take the writing off on Sunday — though it’s unclear by who.
“I knew that that was a fine,” Al-Shaair said, via ESPN. “I understood what I was doing … I was told that if I wore that in the game, I would be pulled out the game. I think that was the part that I was confused about.”
Al-Shaair’s message was written in support of the people of Palestine, many of who have been killed in Israeli military operations. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded in September that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip. Israel has rejected accusations of genocide. It’s a cause Al-Shaair supported in the past, wearing cleats in support of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund during the NFL’s “my cause my cleats” initiative.
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Al-Shaair, who has long been a productive NFL player, was elected to his first Pro Bowl this season. He also won the Texans’ “Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.”
The 28-year-old was spotted wearing the message on his eye black on the sideline, during the game and during a post-game interview. That is in violation of the the NFL rulebook, which reads:
Throughout the period on game day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warm-ups, in the bench area, and during postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field), players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration, unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office. Items to celebrate anniversaries or memorable events, or to honor or commemorate individuals, such as helmet decals, and arm bands and jersey patches on players’ uniforms, are prohibited unless approved in advance by the League office. All such items approved by the League office, if any, must relate to team or League events or personages. The League will not grant permission for any club or player to wear, display, or otherwise convey messages, through helmet decals, arm bands, jersey patches, mouthpieces, or other items affixed to game uniforms or equipment, which relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns. Further, any such approved items must be modest in size, tasteful, non-commercial, and non-controversial; must not be worn for more than one football season; and if approved for use by a specific team, must not be worn by players on other teams in the League.
Al-Shaair made just over $1 million during the 2025 season. His salary will jump to $11 million in 2026. He had a team-high nine total tackles and four solo tackles in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, which ended their season.
Though he knows his message may make people uncomfortable, Al-Shaair knows the game isn’t the most important thing going on.
“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me, the things that are going on,” Al-Shaair said. “It makes people uncomfortable, imagine how those people feel. I think that’s the biggest thing. I have no affiliation, no connection to these people other than the fact that I’m a human being. If you have a heart, then you are a human being and you can see what’s going on in the world and check yourself real quick. When I’m walking off this field,that’s the type of stuff that goes through my head that I have to check myself when I’m sitting here crying about football when there’s people dying every day.”
