Texans Owner: Football Fields ‘Not the Place for Political Statements’

Last October, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair drew criticism after he said “we can’t have the inmates running the prison,” in reference to NFL players demonstrating during the national anthem.

As he made clear with comments at league meetings this year, McNair’s stance on the issue hasn’t changed.

“Our playing field is not the place for political statements [and] not the place for religious statements,” McNair told reporters at the meetings. “It’s the place for football. Fans are our customers. You can replace the owners and the league will survive. You can replace the players, although the game won’t be good. You can’t replace the fans. If you don’t have fans, you’re dead.”

While discussions about the topic are expected to continue this week, NFL owners are not scheduled to vote on possible changes to the league’s national anthem policy,

It’s possible that a vote on the policy – which currently states players “should” stand for the anthem but does not require it – could come at the owners’ next scheduled meeting in May.

If it does happen then, it’s pretty obvious which way McNair will vote.

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Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”