NFL Announces No Fine For Azeez Al-Shaair After Displaying Anti-Israel Slogan During Wildcard Weekend
NFL fined eight other players for Wildcard Weekend infractions but not Texans' Al-Shaair.
The NFL sent a message on Saturday when it announced its fines for Wildcard Weekend. The message is the league is fine with Azeez Al-Shaair writing an anti-Israel slogan on his eyeblack because the Houston Texans linebacker was not among the players fined for their actions during games last week.
NFL Fines 8 Players, Not Al-Shaair
The NFL announced eight players were fined for rules infractions during Wildcard Weekend. All were unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct fines.
Al-Shaair wore eyeblack across his face inscribed with the message "Stop the Genocide," which was clearly visible during the game and then in a postgame interview with ESPN.
NFL rules prohibit personal messages being displayed by a player and the league's fine schedule calls for the first offense requiring an $11,593 fine.
But the league is apparently comfortable with Al-Shaair's personal message.
Azeez al-Shaair of the Houston Texans and Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
CAIR Commended Al-Shaair
The Muslim advocacy group CAIR previously told OutKick it commended Al-Shaair "for using his platform to express opposition to genocide during [Monday] night's primetime football game."
The slogan on Al-Shaair's eyeblack became popular — and controversial — when it began to be prominently associated with protests related to the Israel-Hamas war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where pro-Palestinian activists argue Israel’s military actions amount to genocide.
"Stop The Genocide" is a slogan anti-Israel factions use to accuse the Jewish state, which was attacked by Hamas in October 2023, of genocide.
The NFL, meanwhile, has declined to articulate its stance on the slogan and its use by Al-Shaair on national television last week when contacted by OutKick.
Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Bosa Fined For Personal Message
And this is interesting because the NFL had no such inhibitions about making its feelings known when San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa put his personal message on public display in 2024.
Bosa, you may recall, famously donned a MAGA hat after a Sunday Night Football Game while his teammates were doing an interview on NBC. And the NFL fined him $11,255 for displaying the personal message.
The moment happened in November, but Bosa was the first player fined for displaying a personal message during the 2024 season.
The NFL shield logo at midfield before an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Apparent Double Standard By NFL
So, the NFL has two players seemingly breaking Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of its rulebook — that prohibits players from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages (including political messages) — while visible to the stadium and television audience on game day.
But the league came down on the guy with the MAGA hat.
And did nothing about the guy with the anti-Israel slogan.