Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair finished the team’s Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals without eyeblack after removing the name Wafaa Akila. The inscription was visible when the game started, but an NFL official later told Al-Shaair and the Texans it had to be removed or he could be taken out of the contest.
The warning came after Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 in Week 1 for displaying Hind Rajab’s name. The report described Rajab as a Palestinian girl who died in a bombing in Gaza. Al-Shaair did not challenge that penalty.
He was also fined $11,593 in January for writing “Stop the Genocide” on his eyeblack. When discussing that earlier fine, he said $11,000 could not measure the value of a life and that life was priceless.
NFL rules bar personal messages on players’ game-day equipment. The league has warned Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and players with customized cleats that they could be prevented from playing if they refused to remove such messages. Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei'Trel Clark was fined the previous week for writing “Glory B 2 God” on his eyeblack.
Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, signed a three-year, $54 million extension in April. Fox News reported the incident.
