Someone in the Houston Texans PR department didn’t think this one through.
A few weeks ago, Justin Reid was benched just hours before the start of their game against the New York Jets. That was all over a simple disagreement between Justin Reid and the Houston Texans coaching staff.
What they were in disagreement about has not come to light, and it’s unsure if it ever will. That last story is essential to keep in mind, as the Texans selected Reid to be their Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.
Excuse me, but what? Is this not the same player that you benched for such a childish reason earlier this season? Who made this choice after his benching? It doesn’t make much sense. It’s along the lines of “hey, we’re sorry we did that, here’s this nomination to make up for it!”
Justin Reid has been named the #Texans Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) December 7, 2021
(Is this the first ever team to have benched their own player two weeks prior to nomination...?)
The Houston Texans choosing Reid as their nominee is out of touch.
This is arguably the pinnacle of the Texans’ weirdness and “culture setting” tactics that we’ve seen all year. If Culley was trying to send a message to Reid and the players on the team, don’t you think that nominating the player you punished for speaking his mind is entirely contradictory?
Now, I’m not the most well-versed Star Wars fan, but this is just like when Obi-Wan Kenobi told Anakin Skywalker, “You have become the very thing you sought out to destroy!”. Insert Reid as Kenobi, and Culley as Skywalker.
Someone else should have been the nominee here, as this whole situation just got a lot more awkward. I wouldn’t blame Reid for leaving at all.