Dont let the inmates run the prison
Moderator: JdPat04
22 posts
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Spoiler:
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair apologized, but his regrettable comments won’t be forgotten by his players that easily.
McNair reportedly said, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison” during last week’s meetings between players and owners over the national anthem issue. McNair said he was using a figure of speech, but anyone should be able to understand why players wouldn’t be so quick to forgive.
The Texans considered a walkout Friday, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN, and star receiver DeAndre Hopkins did leave. Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Hopkins took a “personal day” after he wasn’t seen at practice. Yahoo Sports’ Shalise Manza Young reports that Hopkins left the building due to McNair’s comments, according to a source. According to Manza Young, O’Brien and general manager Rick Smith met with the players over McNair’s comments.
Barshop also reported the Texans are planning something before Sunday’s game at Seattle but are unsure what that will be. Manza Young reported one possibility is some Texans could take the logo off their helmets.
Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown said he thought McNair’s comments were disrespectful and it “sickened” him, according to ESPN and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
“This is bigger than just the protests,” Brown said about McNair’s comments, according to Barshop. “This is the view of player-owner relationship. This is how you view us. You’re an inmate, we can’t let you guys 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. It’s a bad situation.”
This is not a story that will go away simply because McNair put out a public apology. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said on Instagram he thought McNair’s comments were “Donald Sterling-esque,” referring to the disgraced former Los Angeles Clippers owner. McNair’s comments drew an immediate and intense reaction, adding another layer to an already uncomfortable divide between players and owners.
Now McNair has angered at least a good number of his players, and they reportedly had to be convinced to not walk off the job Friday. His star receiver and one of the Texans’ most recognizable players did leave without practicing.
His apology was a step, but far from the final one if he wants to resolve a suddenly divisive situation.
McNair reportedly said, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison” during last week’s meetings between players and owners over the national anthem issue. McNair said he was using a figure of speech, but anyone should be able to understand why players wouldn’t be so quick to forgive.
The Texans considered a walkout Friday, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN, and star receiver DeAndre Hopkins did leave. Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Hopkins took a “personal day” after he wasn’t seen at practice. Yahoo Sports’ Shalise Manza Young reports that Hopkins left the building due to McNair’s comments, according to a source. According to Manza Young, O’Brien and general manager Rick Smith met with the players over McNair’s comments.
Barshop also reported the Texans are planning something before Sunday’s game at Seattle but are unsure what that will be. Manza Young reported one possibility is some Texans could take the logo off their helmets.
Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown said he thought McNair’s comments were disrespectful and it “sickened” him, according to ESPN and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
“This is bigger than just the protests,” Brown said about McNair’s comments, according to Barshop. “This is the view of player-owner relationship. This is how you view us. You’re an inmate, we can’t let you guys 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. It’s a bad situation.”
This is not a story that will go away simply because McNair put out a public apology. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said on Instagram he thought McNair’s comments were “Donald Sterling-esque,” referring to the disgraced former Los Angeles Clippers owner. McNair’s comments drew an immediate and intense reaction, adding another layer to an already uncomfortable divide between players and owners.
Now McNair has angered at least a good number of his players, and they reportedly had to be convinced to not walk off the job Friday. His star receiver and one of the Texans’ most recognizable players did leave without practicing.
His apology was a step, but far from the final one if he wants to resolve a suddenly divisive situation.
Spoiler:
RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said Friday that Houston Texans owner Bob McNair exposed his true feelings with a recent comment in which he likened NFL players who protest during the national anthem to "inmates running the prison."
Sherman expressed his appreciation for Seahawks owner Paul Allen and others throughout the NFL who believe in equality. But he said McNair's comments are representative of how some of the league's other owners feel.
"I think there are very progressive owners in this league who don't feel that way," Sherman said. "But do I think there are some conservative owners who have Confederate flags at their homes and things like that? Yes, yes I do. I don't think that they feel like there's anything wrong with that ideology and that Southern heritage, in quotations. But do I think all owners think like that? No, I don't. I think there are some great owners in this league who have done everything they can to make this world a better place. But do I feel some have that old line of thinking? Yes, yes, and he's one of them."
Despite player outrage on the Texans and around the league over an inflammatory comment by Houston owner Bob McNair, Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins says players won't be stopped from working with the NFL on real solutions to social problems.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception with Houston Texans owner Bob McNair's description of NFL players as "inmates" and said he wouldn't personally play for someone who views him as an inmate.
McNair was quoted in an ESPN The Magazine report as saying during last week's owners meetings, "We can't have the inmates running the prison," in reference to ongoing player demonstrations during the national anthem. He has since issued an apology.
Asked if McNair's comment will be a setback in the progress that NFL players and the league have been making in working together to address social issues, Sherman said he doesn't think it will be.
"I appreciate when people like that show who they are," he said. "More people in the world need to be that open and that candid about how they truly feel so you can identify them and make sure you stay away from those kinds of people and keep those kinds of people out of power. But, of course, they've got to sit back and apologize because it's politically correct to apologize, but eventually, you've got to take people for their word and for who they are. For most players, even once we apologize, they still take what we said and judge us by it, so you should do the same with him."
Sherman took issue with McNair's choice of words in particular.
"When you think of people in a certain way, then your analogies go along with that," he said. "If he was speaking about his family or anybody in that situation, and his kids were running rampant in his home, he wouldn't say, 'Man, I've got to put my foot down so the prisoners don't feel like they're running the asylum.' He wouldn't say that because he has love and adoration and thinks of them equally. He thinks of them as people, so he would never use an analogy or a phrase like that. But when you think about people in a certain way, then things like that roll off your tongue effortlessly like they did."
A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins left practice Friday in response to McNair's comment. Sherman, who knows Hopkins well, said he hasn't spoken to the receiver recently because the Seahawks are hosting the Texans on Sunday, but he understands why Hopkins would walk out.
"Obviously, if [McNair] was our owner, I'd feel strongly too, but our owner is awesome, and he feels like people should be treated equally and is all about civil rights and equality, and I think obviously he's done his part as a philanthropist," Sherman said. "So thank god we don't have to worry about our owner being involved in some of that, but some of these owners are showing their true colors."
Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said of Texans players: "It sucks that they have to deal with that. I wouldn't want to play for a guy like that."
Sherman, the Seahawks' player representative for the NFLPA, said he thinks Texans players would sit out Sunday's game if NFL contracts were guaranteed.
"I'm sure they'll show up and play as a hard as they can because they didn't work hard and do all that sacrificing in the offseason and put their bodies on the line for this owner," he said. "They're fighting for their teammates. They worked hard. They're going to put their hard work to use. But I think that they will make their point to him, and their points known, because obviously he does not value them in the same way they may have once thought."
Sherman expressed his appreciation for Seahawks owner Paul Allen and others throughout the NFL who believe in equality. But he said McNair's comments are representative of how some of the league's other owners feel.
"I think there are very progressive owners in this league who don't feel that way," Sherman said. "But do I think there are some conservative owners who have Confederate flags at their homes and things like that? Yes, yes I do. I don't think that they feel like there's anything wrong with that ideology and that Southern heritage, in quotations. But do I think all owners think like that? No, I don't. I think there are some great owners in this league who have done everything they can to make this world a better place. But do I feel some have that old line of thinking? Yes, yes, and he's one of them."
Despite player outrage on the Texans and around the league over an inflammatory comment by Houston owner Bob McNair, Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins says players won't be stopped from working with the NFL on real solutions to social problems.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception with Houston Texans owner Bob McNair's description of NFL players as "inmates" and said he wouldn't personally play for someone who views him as an inmate.
McNair was quoted in an ESPN The Magazine report as saying during last week's owners meetings, "We can't have the inmates running the prison," in reference to ongoing player demonstrations during the national anthem. He has since issued an apology.
Asked if McNair's comment will be a setback in the progress that NFL players and the league have been making in working together to address social issues, Sherman said he doesn't think it will be.
"I appreciate when people like that show who they are," he said. "More people in the world need to be that open and that candid about how they truly feel so you can identify them and make sure you stay away from those kinds of people and keep those kinds of people out of power. But, of course, they've got to sit back and apologize because it's politically correct to apologize, but eventually, you've got to take people for their word and for who they are. For most players, even once we apologize, they still take what we said and judge us by it, so you should do the same with him."
Sherman took issue with McNair's choice of words in particular.
"When you think of people in a certain way, then your analogies go along with that," he said. "If he was speaking about his family or anybody in that situation, and his kids were running rampant in his home, he wouldn't say, 'Man, I've got to put my foot down so the prisoners don't feel like they're running the asylum.' He wouldn't say that because he has love and adoration and thinks of them equally. He thinks of them as people, so he would never use an analogy or a phrase like that. But when you think about people in a certain way, then things like that roll off your tongue effortlessly like they did."
A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins left practice Friday in response to McNair's comment. Sherman, who knows Hopkins well, said he hasn't spoken to the receiver recently because the Seahawks are hosting the Texans on Sunday, but he understands why Hopkins would walk out.
"Obviously, if [McNair] was our owner, I'd feel strongly too, but our owner is awesome, and he feels like people should be treated equally and is all about civil rights and equality, and I think obviously he's done his part as a philanthropist," Sherman said. "So thank god we don't have to worry about our owner being involved in some of that, but some of these owners are showing their true colors."
Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said of Texans players: "It sucks that they have to deal with that. I wouldn't want to play for a guy like that."
Sherman, the Seahawks' player representative for the NFLPA, said he thinks Texans players would sit out Sunday's game if NFL contracts were guaranteed.
"I'm sure they'll show up and play as a hard as they can because they didn't work hard and do all that sacrificing in the offseason and put their bodies on the line for this owner," he said. "They're fighting for their teammates. They worked hard. They're going to put their hard work to use. But I think that they will make their point to him, and their points known, because obviously he does not value them in the same way they may have once thought."
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