Arizona Cardinals cornerback Kei’Trel Clark has been fined $6,651 by the NFL after wearing eyeblack containing a religious message during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Clark wrote “Glory Be 2 God” beneath his eyes, with a peace symbol appearing between the words “Be” and “2,” according to a league disciplinary notice.
The NFL informed Clark that the message violated its uniform and equipment rules, which prohibit players from displaying unapproved personal messages while visible to fans and television audiences on game day.
The league cited Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of its 2026 playing rules.
Under the policy, players are prohibited from displaying written or illustrated personal messages during pregame warmups, on the sideline, during the game and in postgame appearances unless the message has received advance approval from the league office.
Clark, who is in his fourth NFL season, confirmed the fine on Instagram and indicated that the punishment would not stop him from publicly expressing his religious beliefs.
“I got to report to God at the end of my days on the day of judgment!” Clark wrote. “I’ll always give God the Glory and out loud.”
He followed the statement by writing, “All good.”
Clark is not the only NFL player to receive a fine this week under the league’s personal-message policy.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was fined $11,492 after wearing the name of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who died in Gaza, on his eyeblack as a tribute.
Both penalties were issued under the same section of the NFL’s uniform rules.
The rule applies regardless of whether the message is religious, political or personal, unless it receives prior league approval.
Clark has openly discussed his faith on social media before the latest controversy.
His Instagram biography includes an Arabic religious phrase, and he has previously referenced Allah while discussing his football career.
“Only Allah Knows,” Clark wrote in a post last year while describing his approach to the game.
The $6,651 penalty represents a relatively small portion of Clark’s compensation but still amounts to thousands of dollars for displaying the three-word religious message.
Clark’s salary-cap figure for the 2026 season is approximately $1.2 million, according to the report. NFL collective bargaining rules place limits on certain player fines based on their per-game salary-cap charges.
The fine has drawn attention online, particularly from fans debating whether players should be punished for religious expressions displayed during games.
The NFL, however, has maintained a broader policy restricting all unapproved personal messages rather than singling out religious statements, per Trending Politics.
Clark has given no indication that he plans to stop publicly discussing his faith following the punishment.
His response instead suggested he intends to continue expressing his beliefs despite the financial penalty.
The Cardinals defensive back has not publicly said whether he plans to appeal the fine.
