Houston Texans owner Bob McNair’s apology for comparing NFL players to prison inmates in discussing controversial national anthem protests drew bitter reaction on Friday.
“I think it was ignorant,” Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown told reporters.
“I think it was embarrassing. I think it angered a lot of players, including myself. We put our bodies and minds on the line every time we step on that field, and to use an analogy of inmates in prison, that’s disrespectful,” Brown added.
ESPN The Magazine reported that McNair, in discussing the controversial protests with other NFL owners on Oct. 18, said the league “can’t have the inmates running the prison.”
“I regret that I used that expression,” McNair said in a statement. “I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players. 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,” he added.
ESPN reported on Friday, citing an unnamed source, that some Texans players considered a walkout in response to the comment.
About 10 players, including Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, left the facility on Friday.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Hopkins had taken a “personal day” as the team prepares for today’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
However, Texans players were not the only ones who were angry.
“I don’t think he could have picked a poorer choice of words, referring to us as prisoners,” San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid said. “Welcome to America 2017.”
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said he believed McNair said exactly what he meant to say.
“Some of these owners are showing their true colors,” Sherman said.
The meeting at which McNair made the comment came a day after 13 current or former players, 11 owners, commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith met in New York to discuss the US national anthem controversy.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick launched the protests last year, refusing to stand for The Star-Spangled Banner to draw attention to racial injustice by law enforcement agencies.
Some players around the league followed his example in kneeling during the anthem, but the demonstrations had largely fizzled out until last month, when US President Donald Trump reignited the issue by decrying any player who kneeled during the anthem as a “son of a bitch” who should be fired.
That sparked a furious backlash among NFL players, who disagreed that the demonstrations are disrespectful to the flag and the US military.
Trump’s comments also saw the debate spill over into other sports, with NBA superstar LeBron James among those saluting the NFL demonstrators.
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