Azeez Al-Shaair Fined $11,593 for 'Stop the Genocide' Eye Black

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined $11,593 by the NFL for wearing "stop the genocide" on his eye black during the wild-card game, a violation of league uniform rules. He was reportedly told he would be pulled from Sunday's divisional-round loss to the Patriots if he continued to wear it, and later removed it. Al-Shaair, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2025 and won the Texans' Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, stated, "It's bigger than me... it makes people uncomfortable, imagine how those people feel." He had a team-high nine tackles in the loss.