Azeez Al-Shaair played the rest of the Houston Texans’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals without eyeblack after removing the name Wafaa Akila. An NFL official had noticed the inscription and told the linebacker and the team it needed to be removed or he could be taken out of the game.
The warning came after Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 in Week 1 for displaying Hind Rajab’s name. The source described Rajab as a Palestinian girl who died in a Gaza bombing. Al-Shaair did not challenge that penalty.
NFL rules prohibit personal messages on players’ equipment during games. The league has previously warned Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and players wearing customized cleats that they could be barred from playing if they did not remove such messages. Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei’Trel Clark was fined the previous week for the phrase “Glory B 2 God.”
Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, also received an $11,593 fine in January after putting “Stop the Genocide” on his eyeblack. Discussing that penalty, he said a life is priceless, rather than worth $11,000. He signed a three-year, $54 million extension in April. Fox News was the source of the report.
