NFL Told Azeez Al-Shaair to Remove Palestinian Girl's Name from Eye Black or Leave Game Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was warned by an NFL official to remove the name of Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, from his eye black or be removed from the game, a source told OutKick. Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was told by an NFL official to remove the name of an 8-year-old Palestinian girl from his eye black during the team's game against the Cincinnati Bengals or he would be removed from the game, an NFL source told OutKick. Wafaa Akila and Eye BlackThe girl, Wafaa Akila, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this month. Al-Shaair had been fined $11,492 in Week 1 for inscribing the name of slain Palestinian girl Hind Rajab on his eye black. Rajab was killed in Gaza in 2024, and Israeli military investigators have opened a criminal investigation into her death. Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, was undeterred by the cost of the Week 1 fine.He came out for warmups before the Week 2 game against the Bengals wearing the name of another Palestinian girl, Wafaa Akila, on his eye black. The eye black inscription remained when the game began.Then an NFL official spotted it and informed the Texans and Al-Shaair that he must remove it or be removed from the game altogether. The threat of not being able to play apparently convinced Al-Shaair to do something the threat of being fined again did not. He removed the eye black and played the entire rest of the game without any eye black.NFL Warning During Bengals GameThe incident occurred during the Texans' game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium on Sept. 20, 2026, in Houston, Texas. Last season, Al-Shaair wore eye black with the message stop the genocide during a game. He also wore the same message while warming up for the Texans' next playoff game but removed it before kickoff. Al-Shaair said at the time that he had been warned he would be pulled from the game if he kept it on.When asked last week about the fine for wearing Hind Rajab's name, Al-Shaair said the money had not changed his mind. He questioned the value placed on a life, saying, What is a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? I think it is priceless.So, to sit there and say that, Oh man, the money and whatever, that was not relevant to me. He signed a three-year contract extension worth $54 million in April, making the threat of fines insignificant to him. But playing time is relevant to Al-Shaair, who is now basically on the NFL's radar for repeatedly trying to amplify pro-Palestine and anti-Israeli messages on game days. The NFL has not commented publicly on the specific incident.Uniform Messages and NFL PolicyThe NFL bars players from displaying personal messages on their uniforms. When officials find certain violations during a game, they instruct players to fix them; those who do not comply can be kept off the field. The league's policy is designed to maintain uniformity and avoid distractions, but players have occasionally used their platform to make statements.The league has a long history of not allowing players to share personal messaging and has a long history of cautioning players that if they persist, they will be removed from games. Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was told prior to Super Bowl XX in 1986 that he must abstain from wearing a headband with messages or would not be allowed to play. Odell Beckham and A.J.Football Reactions and Free SpeechBrown have been told during various times they must change out of personalized cleats or be removed from a game. Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei'Trel Clark was fined. Al-Shaair's decision to wear the name of Wafaa Akila for a second straight week and the NFL warning during the game drew reactions from football fans on social media. His actions have brought attention to the human cost of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has resulted in many civilian casualties, including children.Al-Shaair has been fined over his eye black before. He has not indicated whether he will continue to wear such messages. The NFL may face further questions about its enforcement of uniform rules. Fans and analysts continue to discuss the intersection of sports and social issues, especially as the league enforces its policy against personal messages on uniforms.The league wants to maintain consistency in how its teams and players look and avoid distractions.