NFL Official Reportedly Told Azeez Al-Shaair to Remove Palestinian Girl’s Name
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was told by an NFL official to remove the name of Wafaa Akila from his eye black during the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to a report citing a league source. He was told he would not be allowed to continue playing if he kept the message on.
Al-Shaair had written the name of the eight-year-old Palestinian girl on the eye black before the game. Reports say he removed it after the warning and was not fined for the Week 2 message.
Akila was killed alongside her father in Gaza earlier in September. The incident followed Al-Shaair’s Week 1 tribute to Hind Rajab, another Palestinian child killed in Gaza; he was fined $11,941 for that message.
