During last Monday night’s wild-card win over the Steelers, Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wore eye black strips with a message written on them: “stop the genocide.”
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the NFL fined Al-Shaair $11,593 for violating the league’s rule against personal messages.
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The fine was not listed among the various fines from the six wild-card games, which were posted by the league on Saturday. The weekly fines announced by the league relate only to situations involving on-field playing rules.
Al-Shaair wore the message prior to Sunday’s division-round against the Patriots, but not during it.
The “stop the genocide” message relates to the Israeli military operations in Gaza, following the October 2023 terror attack. Israel has denied allegations that it has engaged in genocide in response to the October 2023 incident. In recent years, Al-Shaair has supported Palestinian causes via the “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign.
“If my platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine, then that is what I want to use it for,” Al-Shaair said during the 2025 regular season.
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After Sunday’s game, Al-Shaair said he knew he’d be fined for the message. He added that he was told he’d be removed from the contest against the Patriots, if he wore the message again.
“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me,” Al-Shaair told reporters after the game. “But things that are going on makes people uncomfortable. Imagine how those people feel. I think that’s the biggest thing. I have no affiliation, no connection to these people, other than the fact that I’m a human being.”
He also raised the question of why other players (he specifically mentioned current Patriots and former Texans receiver Stefon Diggs) have been permitted to play despite repeatedly wearing messages on their eye black. It does indeed seem that more players now do it. At one point, the NFL had a very strict policy against it — to the point where such messages (whatever the content) rarely if ever could be seen during games.
In 2024, the league fined 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa $11,255 for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on the field after an October 27 game. The league announced the fine after the election.
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The official rules contemplate a certain amount of leeway when it comes to personal messages. From Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the NFL rulebook: “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. Items to celebrate anniversaries or memorable events, or to honor or commemorate individuals, such as helmet decals, and arm bands and jersey patches on players’ uniforms, are prohibited unless approved in advance by the League office. All such items approved by the League office, if any, must relate to team or League events or personages. The League will not grant permission for any club or player to wear, display, or otherwise convey messages, through helmet decals, arm bands, jersey patches, mouthpieces, or other items affixed to game uniforms or equipment, which relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns. Further, any such approved items must be modest in size, tasteful, non-commercial, and non-controversial; must not be worn for more than one football season; and if approved for use by a specific team, must not be worn by players on other teams in the League.”
Based on the language of the rule, Al-Shaair likely faces another fine for wearing the message during pregame warmups on Sunday, since he was seen on the TV coverage with the message on the eye black strips.
Because the fines are not usually announced, it’s generally not known which players have been disciplined. It’s also unknown which specific players have received permission to display personal messages.
The rule has been around for years. In the 1985 playoffs, Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was fined $5,000 for wearing an Adidas headband. The next week, in the NFC Championship against the Rams, McMahon wore a headband with the last name of then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle written on it.
