Kyrie Irving Offers to Pay NFL Player's Fine for Gaza Message
Dallas Mavericks star pledges to cover the penalty for Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's eye black message honoring a child killed in Gaza.
NBA star Kyrie Irving has offered to pay the $11,492 fine levied against Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The fine was issued after Al-Shaair wrote "Hind Rajab," the name of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024, on his eye black during a Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills.
Irving publicly stated his intention on social media platform X after the disciplinary report surfaced. This gesture marks Irving's latest engagement with politically charged issues.
The NFL penalized Al-Shaair under league rules that prohibit unauthorized personal messages on game-day gear. This is not the first time Al-Shaair has been fined for a similar message; in January 2026, he received an $11,593 penalty for writing "Stop the Genocide" on his eye black during a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This incident echoes past controversies involving Kyrie Irving. In late 2022, while playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Irving shared a link to content that contained antisemitic tropes. Following this, the Nets suspended him for eight games, stating he was "unfit to be associated" with the franchise.
In a separate instance during the same week Al-Shaair was fined, Cardinals cornerback Kei’Trel Clark was penalized $6,651 for writing "Glory Be 2 God" and a peace symbol on his eye black. Clark accepted his penalty, stating he would continue to "give God the Glory and out loud." The league appears to apply its rules on unauthorized eye-black messages consistently, regardless of whether the message is political or religious in nature.