The name honors an 8 year old Palestinian child, according to reports from The Athletic. The directive was delivered by an NFL official and required Al-Shaair to erase the tribute from the gear used to reduce glare on the field.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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NFL Orders Texans Linebacker to Remove Palestinian Name From Eye Black
Sports24 days ago
A Houston Texans player was told by league officials to scrub a reference to Palestine from his on-field equipment. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair had written the name of Wafaa Akila on his eye black, prompting an NFL official to threaten the player if the text was not removed. The New York Post reported the league's reaction was due to the polarizing nature of the display.
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