Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair removed the name Wafaa Akila from his eyeblack during the team’s Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. An NFL official noticed the marking after the game began and told Al-Shaair and the Texans it had to be removed. Al-Shaair played the rest of the game without eyeblack.
The incident followed an $11,492 fine from Week 1, when Al-Shaair wrote Hind Rajab’s name on his eyeblack. The source said Rajab was a Palestinian girl whose death occurred during a bombing in Gaza. Al-Shaair did not appeal the fine.
The NFL prohibits personal messages displayed by players on game day. 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 personalized messages. Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei’Trel Clark was fined last week after writing “Glory B 2 God” on his eyeblack.
Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, was also fined $11,593 in January for writing “Stop the Genocide” on his eyeblack. Asked about that fine, he told reporters, “What’s a life worth? ... Is a life worth $11,000? I think it’s priceless.” He signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension in April. Fox News was the source of this report.