Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair reacts to huge fine for eye black vs. Steelers

The Houston Texans’ season ended in disappointment on Sunday night, but for linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, the emotions ran deeper than the final score. As rain fell at Gillette Stadium following Houston’s 28-16 AFC Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, Al-Shaair was processing both elimination and the fallout from a message he chose to display during the playoffs.

Earlier in the postseason, Al-Shaair was reportedly fined $11,593 for wearing eye black with the words “Stop the Genocide” during Houston’s Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The fine stemmed from a violation of the NFL’s uniform policy, which prohibits personal messages on game-day equipment. While the punishment didn’t catch him off guard, the linebacker made it clear he fully understood the consequences before taking the field.

“I knew that that was a fine. I understood what I was doing,” he said after the loss, via ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. “But I was told that if I wore that in the game, would pull out the game, I understood it was being fined.”

What unsettled Al-Shaair more was what followed. According to the veteran defender, he was informed ahead of Houston’s matchup with New England that continuing to wear the message could result in him being barred from participating entirely. Despite that warning, Al-Shaair doubled down on why he felt compelled to speak out.

“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me. The things that are going through makes people uncomfortable, imagine how those people feel?” Al-Shaair added. “That’s the biggest thing. I have no affiliation, no connection, to these people – other than the fact that I am a human being. If you have a heart and you’re a human being, and you see what’s going on in this world, you check yourself real quick. I’m sitting here crying about football when there’s people dying every single day.”

#Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair on getting fined for wearing “stop the genocide” on his eye black last week against the Steelers: “It’s bigger than me,” and “it makes people uncomfortable..” https://t.co/hbSBRO0rx7 pic.twitter.com/QqKdGD0Gel

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) January 19, 2026

Al-Shaair again wore the message during Houston’s Divisional Round appearance, even while delivering a pregame speech to teammates, fully aware that discipline could follow. The message referenced ongoing global humanitarian concerns, which the NFL has maintained fall outside permitted uniform expression.

While the fine and controversy added another layer to a difficult playoff exit, Al-Shaair’s stance underscored the personal convictions he believes transcend the game itself. As Houston turns the page toward the offseason, the linebacker’s words suggest his voice on and off the field won’t be quiet anytime soon.

The post Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair reacts to huge fine for eye black vs. Steelers appeared first on ClutchPoints.