Azeez Al-Shaair removed the marking during Houston’s Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and finished the contest without eyeblack. Before kickoff, he had written Wafaa Akila’s name near his eyes. An NFL official later saw it and told the Texans and Al-Shaair that it had to be removed or he could lose his place in the game.
The warning came after Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 in Week 1 for displaying Hind Rajab’s name. The source described Rajab as a Palestinian girl who died during a bombing in Gaza. Al-Shaair did not challenge the penalty. He was also fined $11,593 in January for writing “Stop the Genocide.” Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, previously said he viewed life as priceless rather than worth $11,000.
NFL rules bar personal messages on players during game day. The league has issued similar warnings to Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and players with customized cleats. Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei’Trel Clark was fined last week for writing “Glory B 2 God” on his eyeblack. Al-Shaair agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract extension in April. Fox News reported the incident.
Source: Fox News.
