Bob McNair, the Houston Texans owner, faced a growing backlash on Friday after saying “we can’t have the inmates running the prison” in response to NFL players taking a knee during the United States national anthem. In a report on ESPN, McNair’s provocative statement at a meeting last week between owners, team executives and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “stunned some in the room”. “After the owners finished, Troy Vincent [the NFL executive vice-president of football operations] stood up,” the article added. “He was offended by McNair’s characterization of the players as ‘inmates’. Some Texans players considered staging a walkout, ESPN reported.

Source: The Guardian October 27, 2017 15:29 UTC