Azeez Al-Shaair

Early life

Al-Shaair was born to James Tokley Jr. and Naadhirah Lennon on August 4, 1997, in Tampa, Florida. His parents converted to Islam, and the family adopted the surname Al-Shaair, an Arabic name meaning "The Poet". During his early childhood, he frequently moved back and forth between Tampa and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where his father worked as an English instructor. He lived exclusively in Saudi Arabia from ages four to six, during which time he was fully immersed in a traditional Islamic society.

Following his parents' divorce when he was in the second grade, Al-Shaair, his mother, and his seven siblings returned from Saudi Arabia and settled back in Tampa in the United States. They lived in Section 8 housing. During his sophomore year of high school in 2012, an accidental kitchen fire destroyed the home of Al-Shaair and his family, so the family had to immediately check into an extended-stay motel. He commuted two hours by bus from his motel to Hillsborough High School, where he played football. As a senior, he made 126 tackles with 6.5 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries and also blocked six field goals and a punt and was named first-team All-County. Al-Shaair committed to play college football at Florida Atlantic University going into his senior year, but continued to go on recruiting visits in order to help feed his family.

College career

Al-Shaair was a four-year starter at linebacker for the Florida Atlantic Owls. As a freshman, he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team and a Freshman All-American after recording a team-leading 94 tackles (7.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks, two passes broken up and a forced fumble. He again led the Owls in tackles as a sophomore with 113 tackles (12 for loss), returned an interception for a touchdown and was named as an honorable mention All-Conference USA. As a junior, he led Conference USA with 147 tackles (11 for loss), 2.5 sacks, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble and was named first-team all conference. He entered his senior year on the Butkus Award watchlist.

However, he tore his ACL during a non-contact practice drill in October 2018, ending his final season with just six games, and ending his college career. His injury included complex structural joint damage to his left knee, in which Al-Shaair had completely torn his anterior cruciate ligament, heavily damaged his medial collateral ligament, and torn his meniscus.

Personal life and advocacy

Al-Shaair is a practicing Muslim and fasts during Ramadan, including when he was participating in FAU's summer practices. He began dating dental professional Yahaira Onofre, from Atlanta, in 2015, marrying her in 2022 after a four-year engagement. By late 2024, the couple had split and Al-Shaair was dating Kaya Coverson.

Al-Shaair has been involved in community outreach, with organizations such as United Way. His service efforts have additionally included youth development initiatives, recognition of local firefighters, and humanitarian awareness related to Palestine. In recognition of his off-the-field leadership and impact, Al-Shaair was named the Texans' nominee for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for 2025.

Al-Shaair is an advocate for Palestinian rights and was seen wearing cleats with pro-Palestine messages as early as 2024. He wore an eye black with the message "stop the genocide" during a post-game interview with ESPN on January 12, 2026 after the Texans' playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Al-Shaair was fined $11,593 by the NFL for violation of the NFL uniform and equipment rules. He wore a similar eye black during the January 18 game against the New England Patriots.

On September 16, 2026, Al-Shaair was fined $11,593 by the NFL for wearing an eye black with the name of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old girl who was killed by the IDF in Gaza. Similarly, a few days later, ahead of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Al-Shaair wore an eye black bearing the name of Wafaa Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed in an Israeli strike on September 6; while he was not fined on this occasion, he was reportedly forced the remove to patch with the warning that he would not be allowed to continue playing in that game. On September 27, Al-Shaair bore the names of slain Gaza sisters Lana Ahmed, 12, and Bana Ahmed, 8, on his eye black ahead of a game against the Indianapolis Colts; he did the same with the name of Amal Abu Khater, shot dead by Israel on August 25, during a match against the Tennessee Titans on October 11.