Houston Texans Linebacker Fined for On-Field Message
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been fined by the NFL for displaying a message on his eye tape during a recent playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The message, “Stop the genocide,” was visible during the game.
The fine, totaling $11,593, was confirmed by various news outlets following the Texans’ game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Al-Shaair acknowledged that he was aware of the potential consequences of wearing the message. He told reporters that he understood a fine was likely. However, he expressed confusion about why he wasn’t removed from the game for violating the policy, referencing other instances where players have worn messages without similar repercussions.
“I knew that that was a fine. I understood what I was doing,” Al-Shaair said, according to ESPN. “I was told that if I wore that in the game, I would be pulled out the game. I think that was the part that I was confused about because I understood that was a fine but I never seen Stef (Stefon Diggs) get pulled out of a game for having eye tape with writing on it.”
Al-Shaair explained his motivations behind the message, stating that he felt compelled to speak out about the suffering of others.
“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me, the things that are going on. If it makes people uncomfortable, imagine how those people feel,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I have no affiliation, no connection to these people other than the fact that I’m a human being. If you have a heart and you’re a human being and you see what’s going on in the world, you check yourself real quick. Even when I’m walking off this field, that’s the type of stuff that goes on in my head. I check myself when I’m sitting here crying about football when there’s people who are dying every single day.”
NFL rules prohibit players from wearing or displaying personal messages, whether written or illustrated, that have not been approved by the league office. This rule applies to anything visible to the stadium and television audience, including pre-game warm-ups, the bench area, and post-game interviews.
Specifically, the NFL rulebook states that players are prohibited from conveying messages related to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns. Any approved items must be modest, tasteful, non-commercial, and non-controversial and can’t be worn for more than one football season.
Al-Shaair has previously voiced his support for Palestinians. During the 2024 season, he wore “Free Palestine” cleats as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign. One cleat had the word “Free” written in the colors of the Palestinian flag and a message that translated to “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will all return.” The other shoe included the reported number of Palestinians killed and wounded in the war with Israel. The cleats were in support of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, an organization he also supported in 2023.
“I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be almost silenced,” Al-Shaair told the Houston Chronicle at the time. “On either side, people losing their life is not right. In no way, shape, or form am I validating anything that happened, but to consistently say that because of [Oct. 7] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy. [Other people] try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there. And it’s like, they’re human beings. Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, White, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.”
Al-Shaair is also reportedly associated with the Athletes for Ceasefire organization. The NFL’s decision to fine Al-Shaair raises questions about the balance between players’ freedom of expression and the league’s policy on political messaging.
