Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair removed a Palestinian-themed inscription from his eyeblack during the team’s Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals after an NFL official told him he would be removed from the contest if he kept wearing it, according to an NFL source cited by Fox News.
Al-Shaair arrived for pregame warmups with the name Wafaa Akila written on his eyeblack. The marking remained when the game started, but a league official later noticed it and notified both the player and the Texans that it had to be removed. Al-Shaair then played the rest of the game without eyeblack.
The incident followed a Week 1 fine of $11,492. In that game, Al-Shaair had written the name Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl described in the report as having been killed during a bombing in Gaza. He did not appeal that penalty.
The NFL’s rules prohibit players from displaying personal messages during game day. The report also cited earlier instances involving players who were warned they could be removed for personalized equipment, including Jim McMahon before Super Bowl XX in 1986 and players such as Maxx Crosby, Odell Beckham and A.J. Brown.
Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei'Trel Clark was fined the previous week after writing “Glory B 2 God” on his eyeblack.
Al-Shaair was also fined $11,593 in January for wearing eyeblack marked “Stop the Genocide.” When asked about the earlier fine, he said, “What’s a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? I think it’s priceless. So, to sit there and say that, ‘Oh man, the money’ and whatever, that wasn’t relevant to me.”
