Key facts
- Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was told to remove the name Wafaa Akila from his eyeblack during a Week 2 game.
- Wafaa Akila was an eight-year-old Palestinian girl killed by an Israeli airstrike.
- Al-Shaair was fined $11,941 in Week 1 for wearing the name on his eyeblack.
- Al-Shaair was not fined in Week 2 for wearing the name.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was compelled by the NFL to remove the name of Wafaa Akila, an eight-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, from his eyeblack during the team's Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to The Athletic, Al-Shaair was informed by a league official that he would not be permitted to continue playing if he did not remove the name. Al-Shaair had previously made headlines in Week 1 when the NFL fined him $11,941 for displaying the name of a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza on his eyeblack. However, a league source told The Athletic that Al-Shaair was not fined for the Week 2 incident.