Muslim NFL players say they’re confused after thousands of dollars in fines: ‘I need answers’

Arizona Cardinals defensive back Kei’Trel Clark became the second Muslim player to receive a fine from the NFL in the past week or so.

Following a letter from the league, the 25-year-old is searching for answers, but he probably doesn’t have to look too hard.

‘I got to report to God at the end of my days on the day of judgement!’

Clark posted the NFL’s correspondence on his Instagram page, telling him he was “in violation of the NFL Uniform and Equipment Rules.”

“Specifically, you displayed a personal message on your eye black,” the letter continued, per the Instagram story cited by the Daily Mail.

Clark was spotted on the field on September 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers wearing the message “Glory Be 2 God …” with a peace sign in the middle.

This message appears to directly violate Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the NFL rulebook, which states, “Players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages” during game day when the player is visible to the stadium or television audience.

As a result, Clark was fined $6,651.

Clark shared a screenshot of the letter with a picture of himself, writing, “I need answers. 6.6k for Giving God the Glory.”

He later added, “I got to report to God at the end of my days on the day of judgement! I’ll always give God the Glory and out loud. All good.”

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Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images

At the same time, Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined following a loss to the Buffalo Bills for having the name “Hind Rajab” written on his eye black during the game on September 13, per Fox News.

Hind Rajab is the name of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was allegedly shot and killed in her family’s car by Israeli forces in 2024 during the Israel-Palestine war.

For that, Al-Shaair received an $11,492 fine.

On Sunday, Al-Shaair was spotted during warm-ups wearing a different message on his eye black: “Wafaa Akila.” A translation through Arabic123.com says Wafaa means “completeness, fulfillment, and loyalty,” while Akila means “a woman who is thoughtful and articulate in expressing her views and opinions on important matters.”

Any fines for that message could be announced later this week.

Al-Shaair was also fined $11,593 in January for wearing “Stop the Genocide” on his eye black during a playoff game. He told reporters at the time he knew he was in violation of the rules.

“I knew that that was a fine. I understood what I was doing,” he said before expressing some confusion.

“But I was told that if I wore that in the game I would be pulled out the game, so I think that was probably the part I was confused about.”

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Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

Clark did not appear to be fined for wearing eye black in September 2025 that read, “Inshallah …,” one of his many public expressions of his Muslim faith.

In a 2025 Instagram post he wrote, “I put my heart into this $h!t, it’s always been bigger then me. Only Allah Knows.”

As well, the front of his Instagram page contains Arabic writing that, when translated by Google, reads, “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

It also features links to photos of Quranic passages.

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