From NFL star fined for displaying name of slain Palestinian girl Hind Rajab
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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, says a league spokesman.
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.
Kyrie Irving says he will cover a $11,492 fine that Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair incurred for writing the name of a young Palestinian girl killed by Israel’s military on his eye black. pic.twitter.com/ljGY61LAhF
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 16, 2026
Rajab was a five-year-old girl whose death in Gaza in 2024 after Israeli troops opened fire on her family’s stranded car became the subject of an Oscar-nominated docu-drama.
Long-standing NFL rules forbid personal messages of any kind, including political statements, to be displayed during game days. An NFL spokesman confirms to AFP that Al-Shaair was fined $11,941 for the breach.
He was also fined last season for a similar offense for a personal message, which read “Stop The Genocide.”
Al-Shaair, 29, from Florida, is a practicing Muslim who has frequently spoken out on the situation in Gaza.
Dallas Mavericks basketball star Kyrie Irving swiftly spoke out in support of Al-Shaair, offering to personally pay the footballer’s fine.
The Times of Israel Community.