League: NFL Sport: Football Country: United States Category: Scores & Results

Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair fined again for eye black tributes

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 21, 2026, 7:06 PM

Last updated Sep 21, 2026

Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair fined again for eye black tributes

Summary

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair continued his practice of writing tributes on his eye black, this time honoring Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed in an airstrike. Despite being fined $11,941 by the NFL for his actions, Al-Shaair has received support from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which urged the league to reconsider the fines. This follows a similar incident last week when he honored another child, Hind Rajab. Al-Shaair has met with Gaza families receiving treatment in Houston and has a history of using his platform to highlight social issues.

Source Links

Yahoo Sports

Status Watch

•Al-Shaair was fined for writing on eye black during a game on September 20, 2026.
•He honored Wafaa Akila, who died in an Israeli airstrike.
•The Texas chapter of CAIR is advocating against the NFL's fines.
•Al-Shaair previously honored Hind Rajab on his eye black the week before.
•He has a history of community support and activism related to Palestine.

Latest Updates

7:06 PMYahoo Sports — Houston Muslim group calls on NFL to stop fining Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair for tributes on eye black

What they're saying

"
After getting fined for writing on his eye black the name of a Palestinian child killed, the Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair did it again, and a local Muslim group is asking the NFL to stop its punishment.
— Yahoo Sports

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