Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair continued his tributes to Palestinian children killed in Gaza on Sunday, wearing the names of sisters Lana and Bana Ahmad on his eye black during an NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Al-Shaair took the field with “Lana/Bana Ahmad” written on the black strips beneath his eyes, continuing a series of tributes despite previous fines and warnings from the NFL.
Lana, 12, and Bana, 8, were killed along with members of their family in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this month.
The latest tribute follows several instances in which Al-Shaair has used his equipment to draw attention to Palestinian children killed in Gaza.
During the 2024 season, Al-Shaair wore custom “Free Palestine” cleats supporting the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative.
In January, during the Texans’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Al-Shaair wore eye black bearing the message “Stop the Genocide.”
The NFL fined him $11,593 for violating its uniform and equipment rules.
He wore the message again during warmups before Houston’s divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots but removed it before kickoff after being told he would not be permitted to play if he continued wearing it.
On Sept. 13, Al-Shaair wore eye black bearing the name “Hind Rajab,” a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January 2024.
The NFL fined him $11,941 for the unauthorized message.
A week later, Al-Shaair wore the name of 8-year-old Wafaa Akila, who was killed with her father in an Israeli strike in Gaza.
During the game, Al-Shaair was told to remove the eye black or he would not be permitted to continue playing. He complied and was not fined.
On Sunday, he returned to the field with the names of Lana and Bana Ahmad on his eye black, continuing the series of tributes despite the league’s previous penalties and warnings.