Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair erased the name Wafaa Akila from his eyeblack during the team’s Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. An NFL official told Al-Shaair and the Texans that the marking violated league rules and warned he could be removed from the game if it remained. Al-Shaair played the rest of the contest without eyeblack.
The action came after the NFL fined him $11,492 in Week 1 for displaying Hind Rajab’s name. The source described Rajab as a Palestinian girl who died in a bombing in Gaza. Al-Shaair did not challenge that penalty.
The league bars players from showing personal messages on game day. It has warned players, including Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and those wearing customized cleats, that they could be prohibited from playing unless such messages were removed. Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei'Trel Clark was fined last week for putting “Glory B 2 God” on his eyeblack.
Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, also received an $11,593 fine in January after writing “Stop the Genocide” on his eyeblack. Discussing that penalty, he said, “What’s a life worth? ... Is a life worth $11,000? I think it’s priceless.” He agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract extension in April. Fox News was the source of the report.
