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Azeez Al-Shaair wears ‘stop the genocide’ eye black at Patriots vs Texans game – will he be penalized again?
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wore a “stop the genocide” eye black at a Patriots vs Texans game, despite being fined for doing the same days ago.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was reportedly fined $11,593 by the National Football League (NFL) for wearing eye black inscribed with the message “stop the genocide” during the team’s Wild Card playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 12, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
However, despite reportedly being penalized for wearing eye black inscribed with the message “stop the genocide” following last week's wild-card round, Al-Shaair wore the eye black again for Sunday's AFC Divisional game against the Patriots on January 18.
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Will Al-Shaair get fined again?
Before Sunday's game against the Patriots, Al-Shaair was spotted sporting the eye black as he gave his Texans teammates a pregame motivational speech.
The NFL rulebook states, “Throughout the period on game day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warm-ups, 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.”
Al-Shaair could be seen playing Patriots vs Texans without the eye black on. However, it is not yet confirmed why he removed the eye black during the game, or if he will be fined again by the NFL for wearing it on the sideline.
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League rules violated
The NFL prohibits players from displaying any personal messages on equipment or uniforms unless those messages are pre-approved by the league office, the NFL rulebook mentions.
Al-Shaair's eye-black message, “stop the genocide”, addressed reservations over Israel's actions in Gaza, where Israeli military operations had claimed tens of thousands of lives since the fatal Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. He talked about Palestine earlier in the season, saying, “If my platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine, then that is what I want to use it for.”
Over the previous few seasons, Al-Shaair has supported Palestinian causes on the field by donning cleats as part of the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative.
