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Houston Texans pass rusher Azeez Al-Shaair spoke out about the fine he received for wearing a pro-Palestinian message on his eye tape during a playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Al-Shaair spoke to reporters outside his locker following the Texans’ loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. He was fined $11,593 for having “Stop Genocide” stamped on the tape, according to ESPN.
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Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans looks on from the sideline during the national anthem before an NFL Wild Card Playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
He told the media that he knew what he did would result in a fine.
“I knew it was a fine. I understood what I was doing… They told me if I used that in the game, they would take me out of the game,” he said via ESPN. “I think that was the part that confused me because I understood it was a fine, but I never saw Stef (Stefon Diggs) get pulled from a game for having tape on his eyes with something written on it.
“At the end of the day, the things that are happening are bigger than me. If that makes people uncomfortable, imagine how those people feel. I think that’s the most important thing. I have no affiliation, no connection with these people other than the fact that I’m a human being. If you have a heart and you’re a human being and you see what’s going on in the world, you get a hold of yourself very quickly. Even when I leave this field, that’s the kind of thing that happens in my head. I get a hold of myself when I’m sitting here crying. for football when there are people dying every day.
The NFL rule book lays out in Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 what players can and cannot wear on game days. The rule states: “During the period of game day in which a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including pregame warm-ups, in the bench area, and during postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field), players are prohibited from using, displaying, or transmitting personal messages, whether written or illustrated, unless such message has been previously approved by the League office.
Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans leaves the field during an NFL Wild Card Playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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“The League will not grant permission to any club or player to wear, display or transmit messages, through helmet decals, armbands, jersey patches, mouthpieces or other items affixed to uniforms or playing equipment, that relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns. In addition, such approved items must be modest in size, in good taste, non-commercial and non-controversial; they must not be used for more than one season of football.”
Al-Shaair has supported Palestinians in the past, including wearing “Free Palestine” cleats for the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign during the 2024 season.
Al-Shaair had “Free” written on the side of his shoes in the colors of the Palestinian flag. On one of the shoes was written: “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will all return.” On the other side of the shoe he included the number of Palestinians supposedly killed and wounded in their war with Israel.
The shoes were for the Palestinian Children’s Aid Fund, which he also supported in 2023.
“I feel like it’s something they’re trying to almost be silenced,” Al-Shaair told the Houston Chronicle at the time. “On both sides, people losing their lives is not right. In no way am I validating anything that happened, but saying that consistently because of [Oct. 7] innocent people [in Gaza] Now I should die, it’s crazy.
Azeez al-Shaair of the Houston Texans shakes hands with Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers after an NFL Wild Card Playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
“[Other people] It tries to disconnect and dehumanize the people there. And it’s as if they were human beings. As a Muslim, we see everyone the same; Black, white, Spanish, whatever you are; “You can be orange, as if we were all human beings.”
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Al-Shaair was also part of the Athletes for Ceasefire organization.
