Kyrie Irving to pay fine for NFL player who wrote name of child Hind Rajab

NBA star Kyrie Irving announced his willingness to pay the $11,941 fine imposed by the NFL on player Aziz Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans, after he wrote the name of the Palestinian child martyr Hind Rajab under his eyes during a game. Irving criticized ESPN for removing the child's name from its report on the penalty.

NBA star Kyrie Irving announced his willingness to pay the $11,941 fine imposed by the NFL on his compatriot Aziz Al-Shaair, a player for the Houston Texans. The fine came after Al-Shaair wrote the name of the Palestinian child martyr Hind Rajab on the black area under his eyes during a game against the Buffalo Bills, which the league considered a violation of uniform and equipment rules that prohibit unauthorized personal messages. Irving not only announced he would cover the fine but also criticized ESPN after it published a report on the penalty without mentioning the child's name, writing in response to the network's post: "Her name is Hind Rajab, and she was braver than every one of you at ESPN." This move comes amid Al-Shaair's previous stances related to the war on Gaza, where he was previously penalized by the league for appearing with the phrase "Stop the genocide" on his face during a game last season. It is noted that Hind Rajab is a five-year-old Palestinian child killed by the Israeli occupation army along with six of her relatives in a bombing of a car they were sheltering in southwest of Gaza City on January 29, 2024. The incident brought Hind Rajab's name back into discussion in American sports and media circles, amid widespread interaction on social media platforms.