EBONY
  • News
    • Politics
    • Race & Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
    • EBONY Attitudes
    • Destinations
    • Beauty
    • Health
  • Careers & Finance
  • Videos
  • Inside Ebony
    • EBONY Magazine
    • EBONY-JET Shop
    • EBONY Exclusive
    • EBONY Power 100
    • HBCU Queens & Kings
    • Women Up
    • Black History Month
Connect with us
EBONY
EBONY

EBONY

  • News
    • Politics
    • Race & Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
    • EBONY Attitudes
    • Destinations
    • Beauty
    • Health
  • Careers & Finance
  • Videos
  • Inside Ebony
    • EBONY Magazine
    • EBONY-JET Shop
    • EBONY Exclusive
    • EBONY Power 100
    • HBCU Queens & Kings
    • Women Up
    • Black History Month

News

Texans Players Considered Walkout After Being Disparaged As 'Inmates' by Team Owner
Advertisement

News

REMEMBERING THE LEGACY AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF HANK AARON

News

Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, Maya Angelou and the Black Oral Tradition

Entertainment News

Satchel and Jackson Lee, named this year's Golden Globes Ambassadors

News

“No Negativity” Gives Black Creatives The Space They Deserve

Beauty Health News

Ebony’s Top 5 Skin Products by Eczema Honey

EBONY Magazine News

2020 EBONY Holiday Gift Guide, Looking for Holiday Gifts from Black Owned Companies…We Got You!

Race & Culture

Nordstrom Puts Black Style and Expression Front and Center In Their Latest Exhibit—Here’s What the Artists Want You To Know

Education

Studying the Law While Black

News

Albert Bryan, Jr., Governor of the US Virgin Islands, Shows Himself to Be an Exemplary, Innovative Leader

News

Texans Players Considered Walkout After Being Disparaged As ‘Inmates’ by Team Owner

By

Zahara Hill

on

October 27, 2017
Bob McNair
Screenshot/Sports Illustrated

On Friday, ESPN reported on an NFL meeting which intended to address the national controversy surrounding protests during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” During the convening, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair offered a troubling perspective on the players’ right to free speech when he remarked: “you can’t have the inmates running the prison.”

 

Understandably, some Texans players had a bit of a tough time going about business as usual on Friday. Texans coach Bill O’ Brien informed the team of McNair’s comments in the hopes of getting ahead of media when the story broke early Friday morning. The team held a 90-minute meeting to discuss McNair’s commentary — which was said amidst the already ever-present racial tensions in the NFL.

Some of the players intended to stage a walkout but were assuaged by coaches. Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins took a personal day.

“When it happened, there’s a thousand emotions going through your mind,” left tackle Duane Brown said. “Obviously, one of the emotions is to leave the building immediately. [But] we decided to go to work. The situation’s not over. It’s something that we’ll reconvene and talk about again, but we had practice today.”

Brown said McNair’s comments weren’t shocking nor should it deter players who came to work.

“This game, this locker room, this field that we play on isn’t just about him,” Brown said. “So it’s a lot of factors you have to consider when you step on that field. Definitely something that myself, and I think a lot of people in there, have to consider going forward.”

“This is bigger than just the protests. This is the view of player-owner relationship,” he continued. “This is how you view us. You’re an inmate. We can’t let you guys out of line. We can’t let you speak for yourself. We can’t let you have your own beliefs. That’s what it feels like. It’s a bad situation.”

 

In this article:Bob McNair, Houston Texans, NFL, NFL protests

Trending

Russell Wilson Becomes NFL’s Highest-Paid Player With $140M Deal

News

Retired NFL Star Pursues Dreams of Becoming an Anesthesiologist Retired NFL Star Pursues Dreams of Becoming an Anesthesiologist

Retired NFL Star Pursues Dreams of Becoming an Anesthesiologist

Entertainment

NFL Player Comes to Former Teacher's Rescue on Easter NFL Player Comes to Former Teacher's Rescue on Easter

NFL Player Comes to Former Teacher’s Rescue on Easter

News

NFL Star Marshawn Lynch to Retire for the Second Time NFL Star Marshawn Lynch to Retire for the Second Time

NFL Star Marshawn Lynch to Retire for the Second Time

Entertainment

Advertisement
EBONY
Join EBONY.com

  • Contact
  • About
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Media Kit
  • EBONY Creates

Copyright © 2019 EBONY Media Operations.

Connect
Join EBONY.com

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. If you want to know more or withdraw your consent to all or some of the cookies, please refer to the privacy policy. By closing this banner, scrolling on this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to the use of cookies.OkRead more