NFL Player Wears 'Free Palestine' Cleats At Practice
Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine, some NFL players are making their political convictions clear in camp.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was wearing "Free Palestine" cleats as the team opened training camp this week. On top of having the letters done in the same color as the Palestine flag, he also had numbers for people killed in the conflict.
It's the second year in a row that Al-Shaair has worn cleats like this. It's also closing in on two years since the October 7 attacks that kicked off the ongoing war.
As with just about anything relating to the conflict, there have been polarizing reactions to his act of political support. Palestinian supporters are praising Al-Shaair while supporters of Israel are vehemently against him wearing them.
"They called this guy a dirty player last year. I honestly never believed it, the man got heart!" one user declared.
"Azeez Al-Shaair should be banned from the NFL for wearing pro-terrorist cleats," one user wrote.
"Everyone should be supporting Azeez. He's the only NFL athlete speaking up for Palestine," a third wrote.
"I like Azeez again," one added.
Azeez Al-Shaair became a polarizing figure for his conduct on the field in 2024 as well. Last season he was fined multiple times by the league for illegal hits.
One of those illegal hits came against Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He his Lawrence as the QB was sliding, causing Lawrence a concussion that knocked him out of the game and ultimately the rest of the season. Al-Shaair was subsequently suspended for three games.NFL Player Wears 'Free Palestine' Cleats At Practice first appeared on The Spun on Jul 24, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Falcons lose starting WR Darnell Mooney for several weeks with shoulder injury and sign D.J. Chark
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Darnell Mooney's status for the start of the season is uncertain as the Atlanta Falcons' second-leading receiver in 2024 is expected to miss several weeks of training camp with a shoulder injury. Mooney suffered the injury in Thursday's first practice of training camp. The Falcons bolstered their depth chart at wide receiver by signing veteran D.J. Chark Jr., who joined the team for Saturday's practice. Chark worked out for the Falcons on Friday. 'That workout was already set up,' Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith said Saturday, referring to the visit from Chark being scheduled before Mooney's injury. Smith said Mooney's injury is 'part of the deal' and the front office is 'always ready to find solutions and add to the roster whenever we can.' Smith provided no details on the severity of Mooney's injury. Chark, 29, began the 2024 season on injured reserve with a hip injury and was limited to four catches for 31 yards with one touchdown in seven games with the Los Angeles Chargers. Chark, a second-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2018, set career highs with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars in 2019. Following four seasons with Jacksonville, Chark played for Detroit in 2022 and Carolina in 2023. Mooney had 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Drake London led the team with 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. London, Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III opened training camp as Atlanta's top wide receivers. KhaDarel Hodge returns as a top backup after starting two games last season. The injury will force Mooney to miss valuable practice time with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is entering his first full season as the starter following a three-game audition to close the 2024 season. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dolphins sign ex-Patriots star to fill big void
The Miami Dolphins are turning over every stone to try to improve their cornerback depth. They were dealt a big blow this week when Artie Burns tore his ACL, and multiple signings have followed. The latest came Saturday, as the Dolphins announced they had signed free agent Jack Jones. Jones was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 who stayed with New England until midway through 2023, when he missed curfew before a game and was released. He joined the Raiders, for whom he played the rest of 2023 and all of 2024. In 2024, Jones set career highs in tackles (69), passes defensed (16) and interceptions (3). MORE: Bills' James Cook contract saga doesn't lessen his importance to Super Bowl aspirations Jones is 27 years old and has seven interceptions through his first three NFL seasons since leaving Arizona State. The Raiders spent the first month of the offseason trying to trade Jones but released him in April after not finding any takers. Now, the Dolphins were desperate and are giving Jones a chance. MORE NFL NEWS: Micah Parsons risks temporary retirement, frozen contract if he leaves training camp Buccaneers holding rookie out because he weighs too much Browns' 10-year NFL veteran retires days into training camp Raiders' 325-pound rookie is the scariest Wildcat quarterback ever Shedeur Sanders could 'realistically' end up in the CFL A toilet is helping Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf build chemistry
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bears HC Ben Johnson explains benefit of joint practices, preseason
The Chicago Bears have officially kicked off training camp. Photos have been taken, interviews have been conducted, and drills have started on the field. With new head coach Ben Johnson leading the way, things are expected to turn in the right direction. Quarterback Caleb Williams is set to begin his second year in the NFL after an up-and-down rookie campaign. For him and the rest of the team, camp will be an indicator of how things are progressing. One thing that the Bears can take advantage of ahead of Week 1 is their joint practice and preseason schedule. Johnson believes those practices and games will help them gauge their progress in the race to their Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings. 'There's certain benchmarks along the way," Johnson said. "The first couple weeks, it's going to be a big installation. The guys are going to be thinking, mistakes are going to be made. These joint practices that we have against Miami and Buffalo will be a good barometer to see where we're at as a team. Then Kansas City, the preseason games. All these teams will be really good for us to gauge where we're at as well. I don't know if there's a certain timeline on it. It'll be a feel as we go through camp." Regardless of who the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs decide to use in these joint practices or preseason games, it will present a high-end challenge to the Bears on all sides of the ball. Johnson believes that these situations will help his players, and they hired him to take advantage of these things. So far, it sounds like he knows what he wants as a head coach. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson explains benefit of joint practices, preseason
