BS BULLETIN:
- The NFL fined Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair $11,492 for displaying “Hind Rajab” on his eye black during Sunday’s game.
- Rajab was a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024.
- NBA star Kyrie Irving responded to the punishment Wednesday: “I’ll take care of his fine.”
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been fined by the NFL again for using his eye black to deliver a message about the war in Gaza.
And this time, Kyrie Irving is volunteering to pick up the check.
Al-Shaair wore eye black bearing the name “Hind Rajab” during Houston’s 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Rajab was a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who died in Gaza in 2024 after the vehicle carrying her and members of her family came under fire.
The NFL fined Al-Shaair $11,492 for the display, according to Houston reporter Aaron Wilson.
The league’s issue was with the unauthorized message.
NFL rules prohibit players from displaying personal messages visible to fans or television audiences unless they have received prior approval from the league.
That means the violation wasn’t specifically created for pro-Palestinian speech; the NFL restricts unauthorized personal messages generally.
Al-Shaair nevertheless has a history of testing that rule.
During Houston’s playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in January, he wore eye black reading “Stop the Genocide.”
That cost him another fine of more than $11,000.
Al-Shaair subsequently wore the message during warmups before Houston’s playoff game against New England but said he was told he wouldn’t be allowed to play if he kept it on during the game.
He removed it.
“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me,” Al-Shaair said at the time.
He said he had no personal connection to Palestinians but felt compelled to speak because “there’s people dying every single day.”
The Texans captain has continued his advocacy off the field.
He has worn custom cleats supporting the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund through the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative and traveled to Jordan this summer, where he met children and families affected by the conflict.
His latest fine quickly attracted the attention of another professional athlete known for speaking publicly about Palestinians.
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving responded Wednesday to a social media post reporting Al-Shaair’s punishment.
“I’ll take care of his fine,” Irving wrote.
Irving has previously used his own platform to draw attention to Palestinian civilians and journalists killed during the war.
As for Al-Shaair, there is no indication the NFL’s latest financial penalty has persuaded him to stop.
He reposted Wilson’s report announcing the fine.
MY QUICK TAKE
The NFL sent the bill.
Kyrie Irving apparently grabbed the check.
And considering Al-Shaair has already paid once for his eye black and came back with another message anyway, something tells me the league’s fine schedule isn’t having quite the deterrent effect it hoped for.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Houston Chronicle — Kyrie Irving offers to pay Al-Shaair’s fine
- Mediaite — NFL fines Texans linebacker over eye-black message
- FOX 26 Houston — NFL fines Al-Shaair $11,492
- NBC Sports — NFL fines Al-Shaair again for eye-black message
- Times of Israel/AFP — NFL confirms fine over unauthorized message
