Al-Shaair Honors Gaza Sisters on Eye Black Despite NFL Fines
The strips beneath his eyes read “Lana/Bana Ahmad,” extending a run of tributes that has already drawn fines and warnings from the NFL.
Lana, 12, and Bana, 8, died along with members of their family in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this month.
The gesture is the latest in a series in which Al-Shaair has used his gear to spotlight Palestinian children killed in Gaza. During the 2024 season, he 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, for the Texans' wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he 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 in warmups before Houston's divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots, but removed it before kickoff after being told he would not be allowed to play if he kept it on.
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, he wore the name of 8-year-old Wafaa Akila, who was killed with her father in an Israeli strike in Gaza. During that game, he was told to remove the eye black or be barred from continuing to play. 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 tributes despite the league's earlier penalties and warnings.
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