Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair continued his public advocacy for Palestinian children during his team’s Sunday matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, wearing eye black that displayed the name of Wafaa Akila, an eight-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The gesture comes just days after the NFL issued Al-Shaair a fine of $11,941 for violating league conduct policies regarding player equipment. That penalty stemmed from a September 13 game against the Buffalo Bills, where he wore the name of Hind Rajab, another young Palestinian girl who was killed.
NBA star Kyrie Irving recently stepped forward to cover the fine, a fact Al-Shaair confirmed after communicating with the nine-time All-Star. Dismissing the financial penalty, Al-Shaair stated last week that the value of a human life far exceeds $11,000, describing it as “priceless.”
Akila was killed on September 6, the first day of school, when an Israeli drone strike targeted her family’s vehicle in western Gaza. The attack killed both the child and her father, leaving only a few pages of her schoolbooks intact. Her death mirrors that of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was shot by Israeli soldiers in January 2024 while stranded in a car with her family, an incident captured in an Oscar-nominated documentary.
The ongoing conflict has drastically impacted education in Gaza, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health reporting that at least 21,500 children have been killed since October 7, 2023. Approximately 90 percent of the Strip’s schools have been damaged or destroyed, affecting the education of 660,000 children.
Following the Bengals game, videos surfaced on social media showing Al-Shaair interacting with children on the sidelines, some of whom were wearing keffiyehs or holding signs of support. Al-Shaair has also shared posts about Akila and her mother’s reaction on Instagram.
Al-Shaair, a Black American Muslim, has faced repeated sanctions for his activism. In January, he was previously fined for displaying “Stop The Genocide” on his eye black, a message widely interpreted as relating to the wars in Gaza and Sudan.
Scholar Omar Suleiman praised the linebacker’s commitment, highlighting his work with Palestinian refugees and children with disabilities. Suleiman urged people in sports and entertainment to emulate Al-Shaair, as well as Irving and rapper Macklemore. The comments come amid controversy involving New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who recently admitted to pressuring Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his U.S. tour.
I wonder if the NFL will issue another penalty or reconsider their stance soon.
A nine-thousand-dollar fine? He is right, human lives are priceless.
It is truly inspiring to see athletes use their platform for justice like this.