Despite the apology from team owner Bob Mcnair, Houston Texans players plan to hold a unified protest before Sunday’s showdown against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Texans players expressed anger and disgust over McNair’s "we can't have the inmates running the prison" statement during the NFL team owners’ meeting regarding the protest during the national anthem. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Texans players met Saturday to talk about the situation and how they will hold their protest. Schefter said the players might peel the Texans decal off their helmets or raise their fists.
Earlier, McNair met with the team to offer a personal apology to the players and discussed his comments, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network Insider. After the meeting, McNair released a statement where he clarified his previous pronouncement that caused a rift within the Texans organization. In his latest statement, McNair said the pronouncement did not refer to the players. He said he was talking about the relationship between the league office and team owners. In the past few years, McNair said the league has been making crucial decisions without even getting feedback from team owners.
Statement from Texans Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert C. McNair: pic.twitter.com/YqkfnbjeSp
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) October 28, 2017
Texans players almost walked out
On Friday, several Texans players almost walked out of practice but were convinced by the coaching staff to stay.
However, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins left the practice facility because of McNair’s comment. Texans offensive lineman, Duane Brown, said McNair’s statement was “disrespectful and ignorant” and made him “very upset.”
Despite this, the Texans expect every team member to make the trip to Seattle, including Hopkins, who was excused for personal reasons by head coach Bill O’Brien on Friday.
On Friday, O'Brien, GM Rick Smith, and assistant head coach Romeo Crennel met with the players for 90 minutes where they freely spoke their minds about McNair’s statement.
Texans found their new franchise quarterback
The Texans have had nine different quarterbacks during the tenure of O’Brien and Smith. However, their search for franchise quarterback has come to an end with the arrival of Deshaun Watson.
The Texans gave up a first-round pick when they traded from No. 25 to No. 12 in the 2017 NFL Draft to get Watson, who started five games for the Texans after replacing Tom Savage as the primary signal-caller. In five games at the helm, Watson completed 107-of-174 passes for 1,279 yards and 15 touchdowns with five interceptions. Watson also rushed 28 times for 202 yards and two scores for the Texans, who are third in the AFC South with a 3-3 mark.
