NFL Fines Texans Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for “Stop the Genocide” Message
The NFL has fined Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair $11,593 for displaying a message advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza – specifically, the phrase “Stop the genocide” – on his eye black during a recent playoff game, ESPN reported Sunday. The penalty stems from a violation of the league’s uniform and equipment rules prohibiting personal political statements.
Al-Shaair initially displayed the message during last Monday’s 30-6 AFC wild-card win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the fine, the 28-year-old athlete was again observed wearing the same message before Houston’s AFC divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, though it was later removed during the game.
This is not the first time Al-Shaair has publicly expressed his views on the conflict. As a member of the Tennessee Titans in December 2023, he chose to support the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund through the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” program. “Given the recent events in Israel and Gaza, this nonprofit provides medical aid and essential supplies to children injured and left homeless by the bombings in Gaza,” he explained regarding his choice of charity.
Al-Shaair has also voiced criticism of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which initiated the current war in Gaza. “I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be silenced,” Al-Shaair told the Houston news site Chron in 2024. “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 [October 7] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy.”
He was also one of two NFL players to sign the “Athletes for Ceasefire” letter in February 2024, calling on President Joe Biden to advocate for a ceasefire.
The display during Monday night’s postgame interview with Scott van Pelt – where Al-Shaair did not directly address the situation in Israel or Gaza but prominently featured the eye black message – may represent his most visible act of advocacy to date. Video of the interview quickly circulated on social media, garnering support from pro-Palestinian activists.
The NFL rulebook explicitly prohibits players 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 league further clarifies that it “will not grant permission” for messages related to “political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns.”
This situation draws parallels to the case of Colin Kaepernick, who sparked national debate a decade ago by protesting police brutality through kneeling during the national anthem. While Kaepernick faced no direct fines or suspensions, he was not signed by another team after becoming a free agent, leading to accusations of being blackballed by the league for his activism.
