Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair wears ‘stop the genocide’ message again despite fine

Azeez Al-Shaair is ready to lose another $11,000 for the same eye black message. One week after receiving the fine for his “stop the genocide” message in the Wild Card round, the Houston Texans linebacker went back to the well against the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.

The message was visible on Al-Shaair’s face when he joined the SportsCenter desk after the Texans’ dominant win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He received a fine of $11,593 for violating the NFL rule of having a personal message on his clothing.

Despite that warning, Al-Shaair kept the same heartfelt message on his face for the Texans’ road game against the Patriots in the Divisional Round. The text was seen while he was talking to his teammates pregame, according to ESPN.

Al-Shaair is one of the few Muslim players in the league and sported the message to show support for Palestinian citizens caught in the Israel-Hamas war. The Palestinians have lost thousands of members in Gaza due to Israel-led genocide attacks, which the country denies are racially motivated.

Al-Shaair has shown his support for Palestine on the field before, wearing custom messages on his cleats during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair wearing his “FREE PALESTINE” cleats.

He debuted them last season. pic.twitter.com/F8jTXHf2Lr

— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelV) July 24, 2025

The league can fine him again, but Al-Shaair is clearly fueled by his purpose. The veteran linebacker recovered a fumble early in the second-round matchup to set up the Texans in enemy territory and take a quick lead.

Al-Shaair was tied for third on the team with six tackles in the Texans’ opening-round win over the Steelers. He led the way with 103 tackles in the regular season, during which he added nine pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

The 28-year-old defensive captain was recognized with the first Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2025.

The post Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair wears ‘stop the genocide’ message again despite fine appeared first on ClutchPoints.