Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has never been shy about speaking out on matters that are important to him, and that was once again the case during the team’s NFL season opener against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Following the game, four Texans players were fined by the league, including Al-Shaair whose fine came because of an “unauthorized message” written on his eye black.
Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 for his eye black, which read, “Hind Rajab,” according to team insider Aaron Wilson. Hind Rajab was a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed after being shot multiple times by the Israeli military, along with six family members in Gaza city.
It is a heartbreaking story that received global attention, but the NFL strictly prohibits any personal, political, or memorial messages from being written on players’ eye black or game-day gear. Any unauthorized message results in an immediate fine.
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Azeez Al-Shaair’s ‘Unauthorized’ Message
Azeez Al-Shaair wearing eye black with Hind Rajabs name on it.
Hind Rajab was an innocent five year old Palestinian child who was killed after Israeli occupation forces fired more than 300 bullets into her family’s car.
Azeez Al-Shaair continues to be on the right side of… pic.twitter.com/LfgTxbraxM
— Sk 🦍 (@CryLawson) September 14, 2026
The killing of Hind Rajab took place on January 29, 2024, after audio recordings revealed the five-year-oold calling for help. The Israeli military confirmed soldiers fired hundreds of bullets into her family vehicle and are conducting an internat criminal investigation into the incident.
It is not the first time that Al-Shaair, who is a devote Muslim and has been outspoken about using his platform to speak out about injustice, has been fined for unauthorized messages on his eye black.
As Wilson nots on X, the linebacker was previously fined $11,593 for writing “Stop The Genocide” on his eye black against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL Playoffs. He had planned to share the message during the following game against the New England Patriots, but was told he would be unable to play if it was not removed. Al-Shaair removed the eye block after wearing it on the field during pregame drills.
We’ll have to see if Al-Shaair continues to share personal messages moving forward this season or whether he will comply with the NFL rules. Up next for the Texans is a Week 2 showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
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