A linebacker for the Tennessee Titans is supporting the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund through the National Football League’s (NFL) My Cause My Cleats campaign.
“NFL players reveal their passions beyond the game and wear their hearts on their feet through My Cause My Cleats. Players have the opportunity to pick a cause that is important to them and represent their chosen organization on custom designed cleats,” the NFL writes on its website.
Last week during the Titans’ game against the Indianapolis Colts, Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wore a pair of custom cleats representing the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. The cleats sported the letters “PCRF” and the organization’s logo.
“Given the recent events in Israel and Gaza, this nonprofit provides medical aid and essential supplies to children injured and left homeless by the bombings in Gaza,” the team describes the Palestinian organization on its website.
The Titans signed Al-Shaair as an unrestricted free agent early in the 2023 offseason. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic.
In the locker room, Al-Shaair was asked by sports anchor Kayla Anderson about his campaign for the Palestinian organization, to which he vaguely linked to “the things that are going on in Gaza.”
#Titans LB Azeez Al-Shaair on his “My Cause, My Cleats,” representing the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund: pic.twitter.com/fa6OdjO05f
— Kayla Anderson ✨ (@KaylaAndersonTV) November 30, 2023
“So, for me it’s obvious like, I kind of use like world peace as a whole,” Al-Shaair said. “But, more specifically, the things that are going on in Gaza, innocent men, women, and children being bombed. Like deprived of basic necessities, it’s just insane.”
“And like, obviously, it’s been going on for a very long time, and it’s just kind of crazy, like, that we’ve allowed something like this to go on for so long. So, I’m just trying to bring more awareness to it, as much as I can, and, you know, just raise as much money, you know, to help as much as we can,” Al-Shaair said.
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, according to its website, provides “free medical care to thousands of injured and ill children annually who lack local access to care within the local healthcare system in Palestine and other countries in the Middle East.”
The Tennessee Star was unable to locate any statement of condemnation by Al-Shaair for the horrific Hamas attack on unarmed Israeli civilians on October 7 that left more than 1200 dead. To the contrary, the Titan star – a practicing Muslim and Florida native who lived in Saudi Arabia as a young child, has a strong record of pro-Palestinian posts on X beginning on October 13. Previously, his activity on the microblogging platform was relatively sparse.
Meanwhile, Al-Shaair’s most recent Instagram account activity features a self-promotional video posted on October 7, the same day as the attack.
Following the early October Hamas attack the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund called on the “international community” to provide “immediate humanitarian aid, intensify diplomatic efforts for an immediate ceasefire, ensure accountability for violations of international law, and actively support Gaza’s reconstruction.”
As of its 2019 IRS Form 990, the group has over $21,159,863 in assets.
Meanwhile, another NFL player is also using the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign to bring awareness to the current Israel-Hamas conflict.
Minnesota Vikings placekicker Greg Joseph announced his My Cause My Cleats campaign will support Leket Israel, the leading food rescue organization in Israel.
Leket Israel delivers meals and essential supplies to individuals, senior citizens, and families.
Joseph first responded by starting a “Kicks for Israel” PledgeIt campaign – through which he’s raised nearly $8,000 for Leket Israel – and also raising an additional $56,000 for the nonprofit through private donations.
Joseph’s cleats sport the words, “I Stand With Israel” and “End Antisemitism.”
“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been welcomed by the Jewish community. … They’ve put their arms around me,” Joseph said in a statement. “I just want to try to reciprocate that and do my part for the Israeli citizens and people suffering over in the Middle East right now. The community aspect is one of the most impactful things.”
The Vikings also announced the team’s Chairman Zygi Wilf, President Mark Wilf, Vice Chairman Lenny Wilf, and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Miller will all wear custom shoes painted in support of “innocent civilians, eliminating antisemitism and calling for the release of U.S. citizens taken hostage by Hamas” during this weekend’s game.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Azeez Al-Shaair” by Kayla Anderson.
he sounds like he’s taken too many blows to the head