HIS ANTI-ISRAEL ASS SHOULD BE KICKED OFF OF THE TEAM ..... THAT FINE OF $11,593 IS JUST POCKET CHANGE

Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair Fined $11,593 for ‘Stop the Genocide’ Eye Black Message

 

VINnews 

Jan 18, 2026

 

 

HOUSTON — Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been fined $11,593 by the NFL for wearing eye black with the message “stop the genocide” during the team’s wild-card playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 12, 2026.

The fine, confirmed by a source to ESPN, stems from a violation of the league’s uniform and equipment rules, which prohibit players from displaying personal messages on eye black without prior approval. Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, wore the eye black visibly during the game and in a postgame interview on “SportsCenter.” The Texans dominated the Steelers 30-6, with Al-Shaair contributing six tackles and a tackle for loss.

 

 

 

The message referenced the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Al-Shaair has previously supported Palestinian causes, including through the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative, where he advocated for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

In comments to the Houston Chronicle during the 2024 season, Al-Shaair expressed his views on the issue.

“I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be almost silenced,” he said. “On either side, people losing their life is not right. In no way, shape or form am I validating anything that happened, but to consistently say that because of [Oct. 7] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy.”

He added: “[Other people] try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there. And it’s like, they’re human beings. Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, white, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.”

This incident marks another example of the NFL enforcing its policy on political or personal messages in equipment. Last season, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was fined $11,255 for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during a postgame interview in support of then-candidate Donald Trump.

The fine comes hours before the Texans’ divisional-round matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The winner advances to the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, who defeated the Buffalo Bills in overtime but lost quarterback Bo Nix to a fractured right ankle for the remainder of the postseason.

The game has also sparked discussion on coaching performances in 2025. On “NFL GameDay Morning,” analysts debated who had the better coaching job: Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans or Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

Ryans guided Houston to a playoff berth despite an 0-3 start, building on consecutive 10-7 seasons and establishing consistent success since taking over in 2023.

Vrabel, in his first season with New England after being hired in January 2025, engineered a dramatic turnaround from a poor prior campaign to a 14-3 record, an AFC East title, and the No. 2 seed in the conference.

The divisional clash pits two strong coaches against each other, with the Texans boasting one of the league’s top defenses and the Patriots featuring a high-powered offense led by quarterback Drake Maye. 

ADDENDUM: A VINnews reader's comment on this report is spot on:

"I cannot understand why Americans of African descent only protest the war in Gaza, and are silent about atrocities of Africans in Sudan, Nigeria, and the past atrocities in Rwanda? In addition, as it has been pointed out by others on this site, they and their fellow Palestine supporters, have said bupkis about the genocide of their fellow Muslims in Iran. They have one standard for Jews, and another for non-Jews."