# Texans Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair Continues Gaza Protest, Draws Fines

> Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wore the name of Maryam Ghanem on his eyeblack on October 18, 2026, marking his fifth consecutive week of protests against the conflict in Gaza, actions that have drawn fines from the NFL.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-19T09:18:21.875616Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/texans-linebacker-azeez-al-shaair-continues-gaza-protest-draws-fines-11ca8f7b

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wore the name of Maryam Ghanem on his eyeblack on October 18, 2026, marking his fifth consecutive week of protests against the conflict in Gaza [1][2]. These actions, which involve displaying the names of Palestinian children killed in the region, have resulted in multiple fines from the National Football League (NFL) for violating its uniform policy [1][2][9].

Al-Shaair's consistent protests highlight a clash between player free expression and league rules governing on-field attire, sparking public debate on the role of athletes using their platforms for social and political statements [22][23]. His actions have garnered attention from civil rights organizations and the wider public, focusing scrutiny on the NFL's enforcement of its policies [23][24].

## What the records show

Al-Shaair, a Houston Texans linebacker, has used his eyeblack to display messages related to the conflict in Gaza since January 2026 [9][14]. His protests began with the message "Stop the genocide" during a Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, resulting in an $11,593 fine from the NFL for violating uniform rules [9][14][16]. The NFL prohibits unauthorized personal statements on uniforms [20]. After this initial fine, Al-Shaair received a warning that he would not be allowed to play if he continued to display such messages [15].

Despite the warnings, Al-Shaair resumed his protests in September 2026, at the start of the new NFL season [2][4]. For Week 1, he honored Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, by wearing her name on his eyeblack during a game against the Buffalo Bills [2][4]. This led to another fine, reported as either $11,492 or $11,941 by different sources [5][7][11]. In Week 2, he wore the name Wafaa Akila [2][23]. Week 3 saw him display the names of Lana and Bana Ahmad [2][6]. For Week 4, he honored Amal Abu Khater [2]. Most recently, on October 18, 2026, he wore the name Maryam Ghanem [1]. All proceeds from NFL fines are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation [8][19][21].

## What Al-Shaair has stated publicly

Al-Shaair has publicly addressed his motivations for the protests, emphasizing the value of human life [22]. Following a fine for honoring Hind Rajab, he stated, "What's a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? I think it's priceless" [22]. He has also characterized his actions as "bigger than me," asserting that he uses his platform to bring hope to families in Palestine [3].

## What we could not confirm

It could not be confirmed whether the NFL has officially responded to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) calls to stop fining Al-Shaair [23][24]. The specific article number of the NFL uniform rule cited for the violations was not uniformly specified across all evidence, with some citing "Rule 6, Section 4, Article 8" [11] while others referred more generally to "uniform and equipment rules" [9]. The total cumulative amount of fines Al-Shaair has incurred to date also could not be confirmed, as the specific amounts for Weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the 2026 season were not provided in the evidence [2].

## Evidence cited
1. NFL’s Azeez Al-Shaair honours Palestinian children for fifth straight week (www.aljazeera.com) — https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/19/nfls-azeez-al-shaair-honours-palestinian-children-for-fifth-straight-week?traffic_source=rss
2. (October 14 2026)
 

  * Hind Rajab, 5.   Al-Shaair wrote Hind's name on his eye black during Houston's Sep.   13, 2026, game against the Buffalo Bills, prompting the NFL to fine him $11,941.  ...   
  * Wafaa Akila, 8.   A week after honoring Hind, Al-Shaair wore Wafaa's name during the Texans' Sep.   20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.  ...   
  * Lana Ahmad, 12, and Bana Ahmad, 8.   On Sep.   27, Al-Shaair displayed the names of the two sisters during a game against the Indianapolis Colts (royanews.tv) — https://royanews.tv/
3. (September 30 2026) Houston Texans' linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is one of them. ... Al-Shaair said it plainly: “It's bigger than me. ... hope to families in Palestine, then that ...
 (substack.com) — https://substack.com/
4. (September 17 2026) NFL player Azeez Al-Shaair was fined more than $11,000 for wearing the name of a Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces on his face markings last weekend, a league spokesman said Wednesday. Linebacker Al-Shaair had the words "Hind Rajab" written on his eye black -- a sticker or paint frequently used by American football players to reduce glare -- for the Houston Texans' clash with the Buffalo Bills. Rajab was a five-year-old girl whose death in Gaza in 2024 after Israeli t (thedailystar.net) — https://thedailystar.net/
5. (September 19 2026) Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been fined $11,941 by the NFL for writing the name "Hind Rajab" on his eye black during a Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills. Al-Shaair recently addressed the fine, explaining his motivation for publicizing the name of the young Palestinian girl who was killed earlier this year along with six family members. Al-Shaair stated that his intention was to bring attention to Rajab's story, suggesting that many people might not have k (fantasynerds.com) — https://fantasynerds.com/
6. (September 28 2026) Search a topic or paste a URL... ⌘K. EditorialsActionDigestWatchdogBetaSupport UsSign in · Editorials · Action · Watchdog · Sign in · ← the leaderboard. Al Jazeera English · Gaza · 28 Sept 2026. The headline editorialises. 1.7. / 10 · article score. scored on 5 of 11 measures · thin coverage. Every highlight is a quote the model flagged. Tap one — or a metric below — to see what it measures and why it scored the way it did. Headline analysis. Azeez Al-Shaair honours slain Pal (newscord.org) — https://newscord.org/
7. (September 18 2026) Houston – Saba: The National Football League (NFL) has imposed a fine of $11,492 on Houston Texans player Azeez Al-Shaair for writing the name of the Palestinian child Hind Rajab on the black eye-black strips beneath his eyes during his team's game against the Buffalo Bills. According to the *Palestine Online* website on Thursday, the player took this step to honor the memory of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child killed in the Gaza Strip in 2024; her story became one of the case (www.saba.ye) — https://www.saba.ye/
8. (November 14 2023) nfl fines are getting out of control. and I can prove it. but first where does all this money even go well some of it actually gets donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation which is a charity run by the NFL Players Association to help support former players with financial and educational assistance health care and even counseling some of the money also goes to help provide funding for youth. and community football programs across the country and it is a lot of money. bu (youtube.com) — https://youtube.com/
9. (January 19 2026) The NFL fined Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for writing “Stop the genocide” across his eye black, an apparent reference to Gaza, ESPN reported Sunday. He drew the $11,593 fine for a violation of NFL uniform and equipment rules after displaying the message during last Monday's 30-6 AFC wild-card win at Pittsburgh, per the report. In spite of the fine, Al-Shaair could be seen wearing the same message in his eye black before Houston's AFC divisional playoff game at the (timesofisrael.com) — https://timesofisrael.com/
10. Azeez Al-Shaair (Wikipedia) — https://wikipedia.org/
11. (September 16 2026) HOUSTON, Texas - Houston Texans middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been fined $11,492 by the NFL for violating uniform policy during Sunday's game. According to the league, his eye black featured the inscribed name of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza City in January 2024. The NFL cited Rule 6, Section 4, Article 8 of its rulebook, which states that players are not permitted to display personal messages visible to stadium or television audien (fox26houston.com) — https://fox26houston.com/
12. (September 18 2026) JTA — NBA star Kyrie Irving said he would cover an $11,941 fine that the NFL imposed on Houston Texans Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for writing the name of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, on his eyeblack during Sunday's game. Irving said Wednesday on social media that he would “take care of his fine” in a post on X. In a later post, he shared photos of Rajab. A guard for the Dallas Mavericks, Irving has been outspoken in his pro-Palestini (timesofisrael.com) — https://gulfnews.com/
13. (September 16 2026) The NFL fined Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair $11,492 for displaying a pro-Palestine message on his eye black. The letters 'Hind Rajab' adorned Al-Shaair's eye black for the Texans' NFL Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills as a sign of support for the plight of the Palestinian people. The NFL has stuck to its rules on players displaying unauthorised messages and has punished Al-Shaair for the second time in 2026.
 (yardbarker.com) — https://yardbarker.com/
14. (January 18 2026) FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For Texans Pro Bowl linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair being fined $11,593 by the league for violating the NFL rulebook governing unauthorized personal messages is something he takes in stride. Al-Shaair wore eye black on his face with the message: “Stop The Genocide” against the Pittsburgh Steelers. ... Al-Shaair is an outspoken advocate for peace in the Middle East and protecting Palestine. He regularly hosts children at games at NRG Stadium who a (click2houston.com) — https://click2houston.com/
15. (January 19 2026) Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said he was told he would be “pulled” from a playoff game against the Patriots if he again wrote that on his eye-black tape. January 19, 2026. 4 min. Summary. By Des Bieler. Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said Sunday he was told he would be “pulled” from that day's NFL playoff game against the New England Patriots if he again wrote “Stop the genocide” on his eye-black tape. The message could be seen on the face of Al-Shaair, 28, when he had (washingtonpost.com) — https://washingtonpost.com/
16. (January 18 2026) Houston Texans linebacker Azeez al Shaair was fined $11,593 for wearing eye black that read “Stop the genocide.” Al Shaair made the political message during the Texans' Jan. 12 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Friday, al Shaair shared close-up photos of himself wearing the eye black on his Instagram. Stay informed.Stay ahead. Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most. See Options ›. Already a member? Log (washingtonexaminer.com) — https://washingtonexaminer.com/
17. (December 01 2012) NFL fines: A complete list (nbcsports.com) — https://nbcsports.com/
18. (January 18 2026) The NFL fined Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for wearing eye black that contained the message "stop the genocide" during last week's wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to ESPN. The league levied the $11,593 fine for a violation of the NFL uniform and equipment rules, citing the display of a personal message. Al-Shaair's message was in reference to Israel's policies in Gaza. He has supported the "Free Palestine" movement in past seasons through  (cbssports.com) — https://cbssports.com/
19. Facebook (Facebook) — https://facebook.com/
20. (October 17 2024) Football Operations: Fines and appeals explained (nfl.com) — https://nfl.com/
21. (September 26 2026) It says collected fines support the Professional Athletes Foundation and NFL Foundation. That leaves two separate questions around this week's penalties: whether each gesture warranted discipline and whether the individual fines survive any appeals. The published amounts establish the ...
 (ahnfiredigital.com) — https://ahnfiredigital.com/
22. (September 19 2026) Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair on NFL $11,482 fine for tribute to Hind Rajab: “What's a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? I think it's priceless. So, to sit there and say that, 'Oh man, the money' and whatever, that wasn't relevant to me” : r/Fauxmoi (reddit.com) — https://reddit.com/
23. (September 21 2026) Houston Muslim group calls on NFL to stop fining Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair for tributes on eye black. ... Houston Texans' linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair warms up with the name Wafaa Akila on his eye black prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Houston. ... For the second straight week, Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wrote the name of a Palestinian child killed in Gaza on his eye black. The team captain wore the name W (houstonchronicle.com) — https://houstonchronicle.com/
24. (January 19 2026) Video: CAIR-Houston Condemns NFL Fine for Texans Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair Over 'Stop the Genocide' Message (cair.com) — https://cair.com/
25. (September 21 2026) “If my platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine, then that is what I want to use it for,” said Azeez earlier during the 2025 season. It wasn't the first time the linebacker showed his concern for what's happening to Palestinians. During the past few seasons, he wore cleats to support the effort to end the genocide through the league's “My Cause, My Cleats” program. Last week during the team's game against Buffalo, Al- ...“At the end of the day, it's bigg (firstandpen.com) — https://firstandpen.com/
26. (January 19 2026) 'My Cause, My Cleats'

 In an interview shared on X, Al-Shaair told a reporter that “At the end of the day, it is bigger than me. Things that are going on makes people uncomfortable. I imagine how those people feel… If you have a heart and you (are) a human being, you can see what is going on in the world.” According to ESPN, Al-Shaair has also assisted the Palestinian cause by wearing custom-designed cleats to support Palestinian causes through the NFL's “My Cause, My Cleats”  (palestinechronicle.com) — https://palestinechronicle.com/
27. (September 16 2026) Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair ... “At the end of the day, it's bigger than me,” Al ... “If my platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine ...
 (iheart.com) — https://iheart.com/
28. (January 14 2026) 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,” said Al-Shaair.
 (jpost.com) — https://jpost.com/
29. (January 18 2026) Al-Shaair speaks on his recent fine 👀 (instagram.com) — https://instagram.com/
30. (January 13 2026) Al-Shaair has been a vocal critic of the conflict, deemed a genocide by numerous human rights groups, since it began more than two years ago. Azeez Al-Shaair on SportsCenter Credit: ESPN. By Brendon Kleen on 01/13/2026 01/13/2026. Less AI and more AA in your search results. Add Awful Announcing as a preferred source on Google. The Houston Texans' defense was the story of their Wild Card round win in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. And postgame, one of the team's defensive  (awfulannouncing.com) — https://awfulannouncing.com/
31. (November 14 2024) Days after Donald Trump's reelection, the NFL is reminding players: No political imagery on game day. After Trump's win, the league sent a memo to teams reiterating its game day rules, Bloomberg reported. The move comes shortly after the league fined 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during his teammates' postgame television interview. The $11,255 punishment was handed out about two weeks after the incident, because the league intention (frontofficesports.com) — https://frontofficesports.com/
32. (September 30 2026) This article was originally published by Truthout on Sept. 29, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. An NFL official reportedly threatened to remove Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair from his game earlier this month unless he removed his memorial for an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israel in Gaza. During the Texans's week two game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 20, Al-Shaair wrote the name of Wafaa Akila on h (therealnews.com) — https://therealnews.com/
33. (September 28 2026) American football player Azeez Al-Shaair defied warnings and fines from officials on Sunday after he chose to wear another eye black honouring two Palestinian girls killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza. Taking the field against the Indianapolis Colts in Indiana in Week 3 of the National Football League (NFL) season, the Houston Texans linebacker wore the names of Lana, 12, and her sister Bana, 8, on the black tape football players often use to reduce glare. The two young girls w (newarab.com) — https://newarab.com/
34. (September 29 2026) However, The Athletic revealed that an NFL official warned Al-Shaair that he would be removed from the game if he did not remove the name from his eye black. According to rule 5, section 4 of the NFL's rulebook, any violation of Section 4—like wristbands and mouthpieces that are not League-approved, towels with a personal message, impermissible headwear under the helmet—that are discovered on the player's person in a game, they will be warned to correct it at the next change  (asamnews.com) — https://asamnews.com/
35. (January 18 2026) CAIR Calls For NFL Apology Over Azeez Al-Shaair "Genocide" Message Fine | OutKick. (outkick.com) — https://outkick.com/
36. (August 16 2018) FAU's Al-Shaair: A Muslim Star in the Making (upressonline.com) — https://upressonline.com/
37. (December 07 2024) Azeez Al-Shaair: 5 things to know about the NFL star after his controversial tackle on Trevor Lawrence (scmp.com) — https://scmp.com/
38. (December 03 2024) Is Azeez Al-Shaair Muslim? All You Need to Know About the Houston Texans Star's Religion (essentiallysports.com) — https://essentiallysports.com/
39. (January 11 2026) Texans teammates Al-Shaair, Anderson bonded by faith despite religious differences (tsn.ca) — https://tsn.ca/
40. (December 15 2009) For Fines To Be Enforced, The NFL Needs a Uniform System (theblackandwhite.net) — https://theblackandwhite.net/
41. (June 26 2018) NFL Fines Chart: What Will It Cost To Break The Rules? (nfltraderumors.co) — https://nfltraderumors.co/
42. (September 21 2026) Azeez Al Shaair vows to continue Palestine protests despite mounting NFL fines (thenationalnews.com) — https://thenationalnews.com/
43. (September 29 2026) NFL Player Threatened With Ejection For Honoring Slain Palestinian Girl (clarrus.org) — https://clarrus.org/
44. (September 29 2026) NFL Threatened to Ban Player From Game for Honoring Slain Palestinian Girl (bsky.app) — https://bsky.app/