Azeez Al-Shaair reportedly told to remove Palestinian girl's name from eye black
The Athletic, citing a league source, reports that an NFL official told the Texans linebacker he could not keep playing in Week 2 unless he removed the name of Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.
TLDR
An NFL official told Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to remove Wafaa Akila's name from his eye black during the team's Week 2 game or he would not be allowed to continue playing, The Athletic reports, citing a league source. The outlet also cites Reuters as reporting that Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl, was killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike in September 2026.
Azeez Al-Shaair reportedly told to remove Palestinian girl's name from eye black
The Athletic, citing a league source, reports that an NFL official told the Texans linebacker he could not keep playing in Week 2 unless he removed the name of Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.
TLDR
An NFL official told Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to remove Wafaa Akila's name from his eye black during the team's Week 2 game or he would not be allowed to continue playing, The Athletic reports, citing a league source. The outlet also cites Reuters as reporting that Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl, was killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike in September 2026.
