NBA star Irving pledges to pay Al-Shaair’s NFL fine over Hind Rajab message
Houston Texans' linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined for wearing the name of Hind Rajab on his eye black.
Basketball superstar Kyrie Irving has offered to pay a fine for American football player Azeez Al-Shaair, who was penalised for wearing the name of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Al-Shaair was handed a fine of $11,941 by the National Football League (NFL) on Wednesday as he was found to be in breach of the NFL’s rules on players’ equipment and clothing during his team Houston Texans’ game against the Buffalo Bills last weekend.
Shortly after the fine was announced by an NFL reporter on X, the pro-Palestine basketball player responded to the tweet by saying he would “take care” of it.
The NFL was criticised on social media for slapping a fine on Al-Shaair, with one user calling the move “inhumane”.