5 Thoughts About Bob Mcnair’ s Inmate Comment
1.) Impact of statement
Right now the NFL is in a very sensitive state. Many players have been protesting by taking a knee during the national anthem. Players have been feeling like there isn’t enough attention towards racial issues; Being that Bob Mcnair happens to be a white owner, his statement caused a lot of controversy. Mcnair’s statement made an analogy comparing NFL players to inmates at a prison. It was not a good statement especially taking in consideration of statistics and known stereotypes of people of color being incarcerated.
2.) Players of color= Majority
The remarks came after McNair said ‘we can’t have the inmates running the prison yard’ while discussing his frustration with the way that the protest had affected the NFL’s bottom line last week.
ESPN reported that the Texans held a players meeting in Seattle to decide how to present themselves on Sunday. They all decided that on Sunday’s game, the majority of the Houston Texans players would stage a mass protest during the national anthem — this was something apparently linked to McNair’s comments.
Dozens of team members knelt and linked arms before their game against the Seattle Seahawks. Just 10 members of the team appeared to be standing.
Statements should be carefully evaluated before being spoke into the world especially due to racial issues and the sensitive state that the NFL is currently in from all the protesting.
3.) Jay Z’s statement
Jay-Z has responded to the ongoing NFL kneeling controversy after Houston Texans owner Bob McNair appeared to compare the players to prisoners; which lead to almost all his entire team taking a knee on during football game. Speaking on stage in Anaheim, California, during his 4:44 live performance.
‘They’re injuring themselves on the field, giving it all they got. That’s how they look at you. That’s what they think about you. We got so much further to go. The truth is we all believe in whatever you believe in. God, Allah,’ he continued, ‘Whatever you believe in, we come from one source which means we are all brothers and sisters at the end of the day.’ — Jay Z
What Jay Z said was a statement worth examining. Is it true that we still have a long way to go?
4.) The Apology
Bob Mcnair decided to make a public apology in an attempt to make up for the recent statement he made referring to players.
“As I said yesterday, I was not referring to our players when I made a very regretful comment during the owners meetings last week.”
“I was referring to the relationship between the league office and team owners and how they have been making significant strategic decisions affecting our league without adequate input from ownership over the past few years.”
‘I am truly sorry to the players for how this has impacted them and the perception that it has created of me, which could not be further from the truth.
“Our focus going forward, personally and as an organization, will be towards making meaningful progress regarding the social issues that mean so much to our players and our community.”
Was his apology really authentic? Let’s take in consideration of other potentially racial remarks he has made in the past.
5.) Bob Mcnair’s Remark History
The majority the Texan players knelt Sunday prior to their game against the Seahawks in protest to owner Robert McNair’s “we can’t have the inmates running the prison” comments in the midst of a recent meeting between NFL owners and executives.
But according to offensive lineman Duane Brown, McNair has a history of questionable remarks.
In an interview with Pro Football Talk, Brown said McNair talked to the team in 2008 after Barak Obama was elected as president.
“He was visibly upset about it, I know a lot of y’all are happy right now, but it’s not the outcome that some of us were looking for. That was very shocking to me.” — Duane Brown
We all know that our 2008 presidential candidate was Barack Obama, which indeed happens to be a man of color. It’s hard to determine if we can consider Mr. Mcnair a racist or not, but it’s also hard not to give him a side eye when sitting back and really analyzing the remarks that he makes.
