Houston Texans owner Bob McNair had a Freudian slip which has landed him into hot water with several NFL players, including his own team.
FILE -In this Dec. 10, 2014 file photo Houston Texans owner Bob McNair speaks at an NFL press conference during an owners meeting, in Irving, Texas. At left is NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. McNair has apologized after a report said he declared “we can’t have the inmates running the prison” during a meeting of NFL owners over what to do about players who kneel in protest during the national anthem. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade, File)
Speaking at an NFL owners meeting last week, McNair said “we can’t have the inmates running the prison,” clearly confusing the long-standing idiom of “inmates running the asylum.” McNair’s poor choice of words came in response to ongoing player protests over social issues, making his convoluted comment even more of a head-scratcher. When his comment became public, several of his players opted to leave practice while the rest contemplated walking out of the team complex. McNair has since apologized publicly and formally to his team. Nonetheless, the Texans players, along with many other players from around the league, are reportedly contemplating a demonstration against this owner, possibly in hopes of getting him to sell the team to someone else. Should they demonstrate? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate this question.
Riley: The NFL is already filled with so many social issues and medical concerns that it might not even be worth making this bigger than what it should be for the Texans. McNair’s comments were obviously ignorant if he truly meant them in the manner that they’re being interpreted, but I don’t think that was the case. The media and the players are going to turn this into a rich-White-man versus poor-innocent-player conflict, but it shouldn’t sit as that. I highly doubt any owner would have used that exact wording intentionally in the current NFL climate and expect to avoid any backlash.
Green: It doesn’t matter how he intended the statement to sound, that’s how it came out and players and the public have a right to be upset. I don’t speak for every NFL owner, but there’s probably a very strong chance that many do view themselves as slave masters or jailhouse wardens, whether they wish to admit it or not. It’s too easy for them not to consider the context. You’re already an “owner” and many of your employees are people of color. McNair’s statement should make any player or employee want to stand up and walk out. Trying to sweep it under the rug because the NFL already has too many racial issues on their hands is the absolute wrong way to respond to this.
Riley: I’m not suggesting turning a blind eye to McNair’s statement, but we shouldn’t expect people to be politically correct 200 percent of the time. Every slip of the tongue isn’t a reason to stand outside and riot. Black players find themselves in sensitive times right now and the slightest phrase can be used to set off a social war. But players and the public need to focus their energy where it’s needed and sidestep the monotonous. Prison yards and jails aren’t filled with all Black people, so why even bother to turn this into a full blown Black vs. White thing?
Green: The reason why they should do exactly that is because McNair’s comments came amid NFL players actively protesting during national anthems to bring awareness to the lack of interest that America has shown in equalizing society for people of color. I agree, McNair’s comments normally wouldn’t be enough to ruffle my feathers, but his response to the matter clearly put his line of thinking and owner/inmate mindset into focus. Unarmed Black people were being killed by police at an alarming rate when Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem last year. All McNair can say when he decides to give his two cents on the discussion is that “We can’t have inmates running the prison.” It’s a shame that the league owners can’t be fired, because comments like that in these times should be enough to relieve someone of their duties. Instead, maybe the players should seek a way to force McNair to sell the team, the same way that NBA players were able to force former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell that team after recordings of him making racists remarks about Black people surfaced back in 2014.
