Palestinian rights groups are collecting charity donations in the name of American football player Azeez Al Shair, who was fined by the National Football League for displaying an anti-genocide message on his nose tape.
Nimra Riaz, founder of Muslim-focused sports consulting firm Sirat Strategies, said people in the community want to turn the $11,593 penalty against the Houston Texans linebacker into something positive.
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Al Sha’ir wore nose tape that read “Stop the Genocide” in a pre-match television interview last week, but did not specifically mention the conflict. However, the message was widely understood to be about atrocities in Gaza and Sudan.
“If Aziz was going to use his platform to stand up for humanity and there would be economic consequences, rather than let that moment end in punishment, the community chose to redirect it so that we can all collectively raise money for Palestine and Sudan for those who actually need it,” Riaz told Al Jazeera.
Former NFL player Hussain Abdullah donated $11,593 to the Human Development Fund (HDF) charity after being fined. Another ongoing fundraising campaign by Riaz on the Launchgood platform aims to donate the same amount to HDF.
Although Al Shair’s memo was vague, ESPN reported that the league fined the player for violating uniform rules.
Major rights groups and UN investigators have accused Israel of committing genocide, destroying all or part of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
Warning against anti-genocide messages
Al Shair held up the same note to his face on the sideline of another game Sunday against the New England Patriots, but did not wear it during the game.
The player later said he was threatened with being removed from the game if he complied with the message.
The linebacker accepted the fine but said he didn’t understand being warned not to wear the message during the game.
Al Shail stressed that non-sporting messages displayed by other athletes only resulted in financial penalties.
“I knew it was a fine. I understood what I was doing,” he told reporters in his dressing room. “But I was told that if I wore it during the game, I would be sent off. So I think that’s what confused me.”
It is not clear who issued the warning to Al Shail. The Houston Texans team had not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Most of the world’s professional sports leagues try to present themselves as politically neutral, but critics say athletes who advocate for Palestinian rights in the United States and other Western countries are particularly scorned and punished.
In 2023, NFL teams held a moment of silence before games in memory of the Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. This was an act that ignored the suffering in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian death toll rose due to Israel’s appalling response.
At the time, some teams issued separate statements supporting Israel.
Some NFL team owners have been outspoken supporters of Israel. Most notable is Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, a major donor to pro-Israel organizations including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
The NFL came under fire in 2016 after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the U.S. national anthem to protest racism and police brutality in the United States.
Critics of the move accused Kaepernick of disrespecting the country’s symbols and called on the league to intervene. However, the player’s supporters praised his stance against injustice, despite the potential negative impact on his career.
Kaepernick did not sign with any team after becoming a free agent at the end of that season.
Even after Kaepernick was ejected, other players continued to kneel in protest.
In 2018, the NFL announced a policy requiring players to stand or remain in the locker room during the national anthem, following growing criticism and calls for boycotts by President Donald Trump and his allies.
“Unspoken expectations”
The NFL allows limited advocacy through its “My Cause My Cleats” campaign, which allows players to display messages on their boots.
Al-Shayr used the program to collect donations for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) by wearing shoes emblazoned with the word “freedom” and data about atrocities in Gaza.
But his recent nose-tape message has heightened his activism at a time when Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer near-daily Israeli attacks in the bitter cold as shelters run out despite a “ceasefire” brokered by President Trump.
Riaz said there was an “unspoken expectation” for Muslim athletes to remain silent on the issue as they faced “serious repercussions” for speaking out on behalf of Palestine.
She added that Muslim Americans in Texas and beyond have responded positively to Al Sha’ir’s message and are reaching out to him for speaking opportunities. “The community loves it,” Riaz told Al Jazeera.
Earlier this week, the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the NFL should not fine players who deny genocide.
“Aziz Al Sha’ir’s message was rooted in basic human decency and respect for innocent life. It should not be controversial, much less subject to a fine,” Imran Ghani, CAIR Houston director of operations, said in a statement.
But al-Shair’s memo infuriated many pro-Israel supporters, some of whom called for him to be punished and suspended.
“If ‘Stop the Genocide’ is anti-Israel, what does that say about Israelis?” one social media user said in a viral comment on X.
