Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has been on the hot seat for the past few months, starting during the 2017 NFL season, when he stated, “we can’t have the inmates running the prison” when referring to players protesting during the national anthem. Unlike many around the league who were shocked he would say such a thing, it did not come as a surprise to Arian Foster.
“You hear the rumblings, so…that was my first thought—that it didn’t surprise me he thought like that,” Foster said, per Martin Rogers of USA Today. “Knowing my experience of being an NFL player, it is of my understanding that that’s how they view the players anyway.”
After initially apologizing for what he said and causing an uproar, McNair inexplicably decided to speak on the topic again. Only difference is this time he stated how he regretted apologizing for the situation because he felt he had done nothing wrong.
“The main thing I regret is apologizing,” McNair said in April, per Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal. “I really didn’t have anything to apologize for.”
The former Houston Texans RB spent seven seasons as a member of the franchise and it became the norm to expect McNair to make these types of statements.
“I absolutely take who (McNair) is and where he comes from into consideration,” the 31-year-old said. “He is an 80-year-old white man. When he was younger the prevailing thought was that there are two races that don’t really belong together.”
Foster, who has openly spoke out against playing on Thursday Night Football in the past, stated that the league forcing players to play a game mid-week just days after playing on Sunday is an example of how owners choose money over player safety.
