Houston Texans middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair will be fined $11,492 by the NFL for breaking the league’s rules on “personal messages” because he inscribed the name of a Palestinian girl on his eyeblack in tribute to her memory during Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills.
Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, wrote the name of Hind Rajab on his eyeblack during the 36-31 loss to the Bills and kept it on even as reporters entered the Texans locker room to interview players afterward.
The NFL sent Al-Shaair a letter saying he was in violation of Rule 6, Section 4, Article 8 of the rulebook.
Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans speaks to his teammates before kickoff against the Pittsburgh Steelers during an AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on Jan. 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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The rule:
“Throughout the period on game day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warmups, 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.”
The NFL did not approve of Al-Shaair, or any player, wearing a personal tribute to Rajab on Sunday.
What makes Al-Shaair’s decision to wear the five-year-old girl’s name on his equipment controversial is that practically all things involving Gaza and Israel are charged with emotion for Muslims and Jews and their respective supporters.
Azeez al-Shaair of the Houston Texans shakes hands with Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers after an NFL wild card playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on Jan. 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Muslims view Rajab as a martyr who was killed at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza City in January 2024. People like Al-Shaair view Rajab’s death as evidence that Israel is waging a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
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The IDF, meanwhile, maintains the killing was a horrible mistake amid the fog of war. That war, by the way, started when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and killed approximately 1,200 men, women, and children and took others hostage.
In August, the IDF acknowledged that its troops had fired at the vehicle carrying Rajab, her aunt, uncle and four cousins. Although Rajab survived that attack, a Red Crescent ambulance that appeared on the scene was also fired upon and 12 days later the bodies of Rajab, her family and two men from the ambulance were recovered.
The IDF ordered a criminal investigation. Israeli media outlets Ynet and The Times of Israel reported that the IDF’s internal review said the car had approached Israeli positions while traveling against an announced evacuation direction.
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Al-Shaair clearly intended to send an anti-Israel message with his Rajab inscription and it is not the first time.
In January, the linebacker was fined $11,593 for wearing eyeblack on which he inscribed the slogan “Stop the Genocide.”
These fines, by the way, are something of a pittance for Al-Shaair. He signed a three-year contract extension worth $54 million in the offseason. The contract included a $14 million signing bonus.
Players subject to NFL accountability measures receive a letter informing them of what they did, a video of the play in question if that applies, why they are being fined, and how much it will cost them.
Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans exits the field during an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Jan. 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
They also receive information on how to appeal the fine. If they choose not to appeal, the fine is withheld from their next game check.
If a player protests a ruling, he schedules a hearing with the NFL, and his case is assigned to one of the league’s current appeals officers.
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Al-Shaair is not expected to appeal this fine, a source with knowledge of the situation told OutKick.
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