Houston Texans linebacker Aziz Al-Shaair’s job on the field is to defend and help his team win, and over his eight seasons in the NFL, he’s done just that for the 49ers, Titans and the Texans.
But this past January, Aziz showed a different side, one that NFL players aren’t supposed to openly display on the field during a game.
Compassion for others.
Last January, during a playoff win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Al-Shaair wore “Stop the Genocide” on his eye black, referring to the genocide occurring to the Palestinian community in Gaza. In response, the NFL fined him $11,593 for, per ESPN, “violating NFL uniform and equipment rules by wearing eye black that contained a personal message.”
In the following game against New England, he wore the messaging again during warmups but not during the game as he was informed that if he wore it again, he wouldn’t be able to play.
But even in warmups, his message was delivered.
“If my platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine, then that is what I want to use it for,” said Aziz earlier during the 2025 season.
It wasn’t the first time the linebacker showed his concern for what’s happening to Palestinians.
During the past few seasons, he wore cleats to support the effort to end the genocide through the league’s “My Cause, My Cleats” program.
Last week during the team’s game against Buffalo, Al-Shaair wrote “Hind Rajab” on his eye black in honor of the 5-year-old girl killed, along with her family, by the Israeli military in 2024, a story documented in the 2025 film “The Voice of Hind Rajab”.
The NFL fined Houston Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair $11,492 for the "Hind Rajab" messaging on his eye black in Sunday's loss to the Bills.
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) September 16, 2026
The Pro Bowler was honoring the 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2024.🙏🏾
📷 Aaron Wilson, Sports Talk 790 pic.twitter.com/DLCIMaxrhE
That earned him another fine from the league of $11,492.
On Sunday in the Texans’ game against the Bengals, Al-Shaair, undaunted by the fines, wore “Wafaa Akila” on his eye black in honor of the 8-year-old girl murdered, along with her father, by the Israeli military on September 6th in Gaza City as they were headed out after the first day of school.
While we’re sure he will be getting another letter from the league, we’re also sure that he doesn’t care because his purpose is far greater than league fines.
“It’s bigger to me. Is a life worth $11,000? I think it’s priceless…You can’t get so lost in your own problems that you can’t have compassion for other people in the world,” said Aziz after the game against the Bills.
