The Houston Texans’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals stings as it is, but one decision in particular could affect Azeez Al-Shaair even further.
Al-Shaair played with the name of another Palestinian child, Wafaa Akila, on his eye black.
“another game, another name,” Siraat Strategies captioned a post on Instagram on September 20, including a video of Al-Shaair interacting with various children and tagging the Texans star linebacker.
Al-Shaair shared the post, as well as a splitscreen screen capture with an image of the little girl whose name adorned his eye black on his Instagram story.
Al-Shaair also shared a post from Middle East Eye on his story.
It was a video of Akila’s grandmother recounting how her nine-year-old granddaughter left for school with her father but did not return. Per the post, both Wafaa Akila and her father were killed in an airstrike conducted by Israeli forces.
Al-Shaair has not wavered on his stance, even after the NFL stepped in and levied judgment against him in the form of a fine.
Azeez Al-Shaair Sets Stage for Further Discipline From NFL
The NFL fined Al-Shaair $11,492 for having the name of another child, Hind Rajab, on his eye black during the Texans’ Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Al-Shaair said that the fine was a small price to pay to highlight a worthy cause.
“It’s bigger to me than, you know, what’s a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? Yeah, and it’s priceless,” Al-Shaair told reporters last week. “To sit there and say that, ‘oh, man, the money,’ whatever. That wasn’t relevant to me. I think it’s just important to do that as human beings. Because in a day, we all have our own issues and things that we’re going through. But you can’t get so lost in your own problems that you can’t have compassion for other people in the world.”
The NFL also fined Al-Shaair in January for a similar infraction, but the 2025 Pro Bowler has turned that reaction into an opportunity to further amplify his message.
NBA star and champion Kyrie Irving offered to pay Al-Shaair’s most recent fine.
Al-Shaair said the two have spoken frequently, particularly in the wake of that incident. They have shown support for one another and their respective philanthropic efforts. It remains to be seen how the league handles this latest apparent “violation.”
Players Can Resolve NFL Uniform Violations Beforehand
Per league rules, players receive an alert and opportunity to resolve possible violations. That is before the game, meaning changing whatever issue they may face. Texans teammates David Montgomery and Trent Brown have also been fined for uniform violations this season.
Al-Shaair could choose to appeal his fine. However, it did not sound as though he disagreed with the application of the rule.
Moreover, Al-Shaair has shown no signs of backing of his stance of humanitarian efforts.
The Texans star is a multi-time team captain and the heart and sould of the Texans defense. He is also the unit’s signal-caller on the field. His leadership off the field should come as no surprise, even for an issue that has unfortunate consequences.
Texans Pro Bowler Azeez Al-Shaair Touts Potentially Costly Decision