Total Pro Sports
Houston Texans star player Azeez Al-Shaair received some bad news hours before the team’s Divisional Round matchup.
Last week, the Houston Texans’ linebacker made three solo tackles and assisted in three others against the Pittsburgh Steelers. People accused him and the Texans of elder abuse for the way they treated Aaron Rodgers.
After the game, Al-Shaair had a message he wanted to send to the world. Al-Shaair wore a powerful message on his face. He displayed it to the world when appearing on the set of “SportsCenter” with Scott Van Pelt. With his helmet off, the words “STOP THE GENOCIDE” were on full display across his face. It was a reference to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Unfortunately for him, the NFL did not like it.
Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined $11,593 by the NFL for wearing eye black that contained a political message. Al-Shaair violated the league’s equipment rule about “wearing eye black that contained a personal message,” according to ESPN.
Source: Texans’ LB Azeez Al-Shaair was fined $11,593 for a violation of the NFL uniform and equipment rules for wearing eye black that contained a personal message during last week’s Wild Card game. pic.twitter.com/Z9r57v9dxC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 18, 2026
The NFL rulebook states in Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 what players are allowed and not allowed to wear on game days.
His message communicated the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, something that Al-Shaair has also spotlighted in the past through the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative.
“I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be almost silenced,” Al-Shaair told the Houston Chronicle in 2024.
Azeez Al-Shaair was elected to his first Pro Bowl this season. He also won the Texans’ “Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.”
The 28-year-old made just over $1 million during the 2025 season. His salary will jump to $11 million in 2026. He is certainly a player who deserves it.
