Houston Texans owner Bob McNair apologized Friday for a remark he made last week about “inmates running the prison” if NFL owners allowed players to continue to sit or kneel during the national anthem, but the apology appears to have done little to appease his own players.
McNair made the comment among 11 owners and a dozen players, many of them African-Americans who have demonstrated during the anthem to highlight a lack of attention to racial oppression. The players and owners were seeking common ground on the issue at a meeting at NFL headquarters in Manhattan.
When discussion turned to whether the league ought to clamp down on the protests, McNair suggested it should because “we can’t have the inmates running the prison.” The comment was taken as insensitive and demeaning to the players.
“I never meant to offend anyone, and I was not referring to our players,” McNair said in a statement Friday. “I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. I would never characterize our players or our league that way, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it.”
Some players on the Texans, though, were having a hard time accepting McNair’s apology. They considered walking out of practice Friday, and one player, DeAndre Hopkins, did not attend, according to The Houston Chronicle.
Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown called McNair’s comments “disrespectful,” “ignorant,” and “embarrassing.”
“I think it angered a lot of players, including myself,” he told The Chronicle. “To use an analogy of inmates in a prison, I would say that’s disrespectful.”
Texans coach Bill O’Brien and the team’s general manager, Rick Smith, held a 90-minute meeting with the players later Friday, according to ESPN. The team’s Twitter account posted a quote from the coach: “O’Brien on Mr. McNair statement: ‘It’s been addressed. I’m 100 percent with these players.’”
Players on other teams took notice of the controversy, particularly Richard Sherman, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, who will play host to the Texans on Sunday.
On Twitter, Sherman said somewhat mockingly that McNair did not need to apologize. “I can appreciate ppl being candid. Don’t apologize! You meant what you said,” Sherman wrote. “Showing true colors allows ppl to see you for who you are.”
The San Francisco 49ers’ Eric Reid, who has been kneeling through the anthem and who attended last week’s meeting, posted a reply to McNair on Twitter: “Thank God not every inmate is incarcerated by racism and prejudice.”
McNair’s apology came days before owners and players were expected to meet again at NFL headquarters to continue talking about how to address some of the players’ concerns. Several players have been kneeling or sitting during the national anthem since last season to raise awareness about racism and related issues like police brutality against black Americans.
It is unclear whether McNair will attend the meeting.
McNair, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder are among the owners who have been most in favor of changing league rules to obligate players to stand during the anthem. Many other owners, though, do not want to force players to stand because they fear it could lead to a larger backlash.