Azeez Al-Shaair points to the Jacksonville Jaguars bench after a fight following his hit on Trevor Lawrence Dec. 1. Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

By Louis Keene December 2, 2024

Football fans across the country were still fuming Monday about the late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence the day before. The tackle — which knocked Lawrence out of the game with a concussion — was called dirty by other players, criticized by the game commentator as “everything you’re trying to prevent in this situation,” and prompted calls for the suspension of the tackler, the Houston Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair.

Piling onto the outrage was a group you might not expect to find in NFL discourse: Zionists — Jewish and not — eager to connect Al-Shaair’s violent conduct to his pro-Palestinian footwear. Yes, you read that right.

You see, when Al-Shaair hit Lawrence with a forearm shiver to the head, he was wearing custom cleats calling attention to Israel’s war in Gaza. On one side of the cleats was the word “FREE,” in large block letters the colors of the Palestinian flag. On the other side Al-Shaiir had printed numbers of the Palestinians killed, wounded and estimated to be under the rubble, along with a verse from the Quran: “Surely to Allah we belong and to him we will all return.”

Azeez Al-Shaair rocking custom made cleats in solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/60BbF7aVt2

— 🐟 (@itsabestill) October 12, 2024

Al-Shaair, a Ramadan-observing Muslim who spent part of his childhood in Saudi Arabia, was participating in an NFL initiative that allows players to choose a cause to highlight on their cleats, which are auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going to the cause. Al-Shaair, a sixth-year linebacker, selected the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.

He is also the only active player in the four major men’s sports leagues — NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — among about 300 who has signed the Athletes for Ceasefire petition.

He has also made a number of questionable hits throughout his football career. After Monday’s controversial tackle, prominent pro-Israel online accounts jumped to point out Al-Shaair’s religious affiliation and activism. Newsmax anchor Todd Starnes called him “pro-Hamas.” One commentator called the tackle “unnecessary and brutal,” likening it to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

#Texans Azeez Al-Shaair, who cheap-shotted #Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence was wearing “Free Palestine” cleats today…

An unnecessary & brutal attack, just like Hamas (who govern Palestine) against Israel on Oct. 7 pic.twitter.com/iPAKtWGgEW

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) December 1, 2024

There is also no evidence online that Al-Shaair supports Hamas, a terrorist group.

He told the Chronicle last month that he does not think of himself as an expert on the Middle East, but that the situation in Gaza was “something that’s trying to be almost silenced.”

“On either side, people losing their life is not right,” Al-Shaair said. “In no way, shape or form am I validating anything that happened, but to consistently say that because of [Oct. 7] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy.”

He complained that some people “try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there,” adding: “Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, white, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.”

It was not just the message on the shoes that raised eyebrows in the pro-Israel set. It was also Al-Shaair’s target. The NFL’s first overall pick in 2021, Lawrence is as vocal about his Christian faith as Al-Shaair is public about his commitment to Islam. The social media influencer Persian Jewess referred to Lawrence as a “Christian Zionist QB” in her post about the tackle; I could not find any record of Lawrence identifying as a Zionist, but the church he associates with organizes trips to Israel.

Al-Shaair apologized to Lawrence in a statement posted to social media on Monday, saying “it’s not personal it’s just competition” and “I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late.” The post was headlined “All Praise to Allah” and concluded with an aside addressed to “racist and Islamophobic fans and people.”

“You don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you,” he said. “God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.”

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