Houston Texans’ left tackle Duane Brown didn’t mince words on Friday when talking about owner Bob McNair and his recent comments about NFL players.
Friday was a complete mess for the Houston Texans organization after word got out that owner Bob McNair compared NFL players to prison inmates when talking with other NFL owners and executives during a meeting regarding the National Anthem protests.
Many players on the Texans thought about walking out and not practicing, on Friday, but everyone remained, except for star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who did leave due to McNair’s comments.
Texans’ left tackle Duane Brown didn’t hold back when he was asked about McNair’s comments after practice.
"“I can’t stay quiet about it,” he said. “As far as the protests are concerned I think people are going to feel how they want to feel about it. But this is bigger than just the protests. This is the view of player/owner relationship. This is how you view us. This is, ‘you get out of line you’re an inmate. We can’t let you get 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. So it’s a bad situation.”“I think the comments were disrespectful, I think it was ignorant, I think it was embarrassing,” Brown said. “I think it angered a lot of players, including myself. We put our bodies and minds every time we step on the field. To use an analogy of inmates in a prison, I would say they’re disrespectful.”"
You never hear an NFL player ever condemn their team owner the way Brown did, but there’s not much McNair can say that makes what he said OK.
The Texans have been one of the few teams in the NFL this season that hasn’t had any of their players stage an anthem protest. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least a few players don’t take a knee this coming Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Next: Texans’ players wanted to walk out after Bob McNair comments
It’s been quite a week for Brown after reporting to the Texans’ facility on Monday after holding out for the first seven weeks of the season due to a contract dispute. Not only does he have to get focused for his first game of the season, but now he has to deal with a huge distraction.
It’s a good thing that Brown is a seasoned veteran that shouldn’t have a problem dealing a storm that has taken hold of the Texans’ organization.