Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has offered to pay the $11,941 NFL fine levied against Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for writing the name of a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza on his eye black during Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
The fine is standard NFL procedure. League uniform and equipment rules prohibit players from displaying personal messages without prior approval.
Al-Shaair wrote the name Hind Rajab on his eye black. Rajab was killed in 2024 along with six members of her family after their car came under fire in Gaza City. The Israeli military acknowledged last month for the first time that it opened fire on the vehicle and said it had opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
Al-Shaair’s advocacy
Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, was fined in January for displaying the message stop the genocide on his eye black during a game last season. He has also used the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats program over multiple seasons to wear cleats supporting Palestinian causes.
In a statement last season, he said that if his platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine, that is what he wants to use it for.
Irving’s involvement
Irving has been among the most prominent American athletes in expressing public support for Palestinians. He has posted about Palestinian children on social media and worn shirts honoring journalists killed in Gaza. His offer to cover Al-Shaair’s fine continues that pattern of using his public platform and finances to amplify the cause.
The fine amount reflects the NFL‘s standard penalty structure for uniform violations rather than any specific assessment of the message itself.
