Bob McNair: 'We Can't Have Inmates Running the Prison'

[Boris13c]

Texans Owner Bob McNair on Protests: 'We Can't Have Inmates Running the Prison'

Speaking at a meeting between owners, team executives and commissioner Roger Goodell, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair reportedly said "we can't have the inmates running the prison" in response to NFL players taking a knee during the United States national anthem.

On Friday, Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.com detailed the protest-focused meetings this month, which featured both private gatherings and a separate large session that also included players. They noted McNair's statement in the owners' exchange of concerns "stunned some in the room."

McNair made the comment after Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones delivered an impassioned speech about finding a solution or creating a mandate to solve the polarizing issue, which he believes is having a clear business impact on the NFL, per ESPN.com.

The Texans owner's remark was one of multiple awkward moments during the multiday process.

Wickersham and Van Natta also spotlighted an exchange between Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula and retired wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who briefly signed with Buffalo in August before deciding to step away from the game to focus on activism:

"At one point, Buffalo Bills co-owner Terry Pegula, moved by Anquan Boldin's story about his cousin being shot and killed by a police officer, complimented him on how impressive he was but kept calling him 'Antwan.' Then Pegula suggested that Boldin would be the perfect NFL spokesman on social issues not only because he had walked away from the game to pursue causes but because, the owner said, it couldn't be a 'white owner but needs to be someone who's black.'"

The meetings were aimed toward finding common ground between owners and players amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested last month owners should fire players who don't stand during the anthem before games. McNair donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, according to the FEC.

A recent CNN poll showcased the large divide on the issue among Americans, with 49 percent calling the protests the "wrong thing" to do and 43 percent saying it's the "right thing."

I find it interesting that even while holding a meeting to address an issue, some of these guys just can't get out of their own way

[Atkins&Rebel]

Well if the NFL allows their employees to dictate policy for behavior that costs the NFL money due to the impassioned criticism of many of their viewers, then yes the colloquial paraphrase fits.

[G08]

Man, what I wouldn't give to be someone who makes billions of dollars based on other people ruining their bodies.

Kind of like a glorified pimp, right?

[Atkins&Rebel]

There have been teams sold in the fast few years, why don't you pull the trigger...it's a can't miss business venture!

[UOK]

I'm personally shocked that an old rich white man is a closet bigot.

Er wait, no I'm not at all.

[G08]

I'd like to hear the context (if anything more than what was printed above) but my knee-jerk response is that I don't think he meant to be racist at all. "Can't let the inmates run the asylum" is the saying that I'm familiar with, maybe it's different in the south.

I *think* he meant to say that you can't let your employees dictate policy for how they are managed, which I guess is true in most management positions.

[Wounded Bear]

I'm personally shocked that an old rich white man is a closet bigot.

Er wait, no I'm not at all.

Let' just be glad that he didn't use the "N" word or call the offending players "boys."

Some real plantation bullshit going on here. There is absolutely no reason why we need to play a "National Antem" of any kind prior to a bunch of dudes throwing a ball around on a field or court. If it's a government proceeding, I get it, but athletes showing how good they are at throwing a ball, I don't.

Should we play the National Anthem prior to playing a game of pool? Spelling bee? How about a game of fucking poker, wait, let me cue up the National Anthem.... Why?

It's all just so effing ridiculous.

[Boris13c]

Man, what I wouldn't give to be someone who makes billions of dollars based on other people ruining their bodies.

Kind of like a glorified pimp, right?

good work if you can get it

we all missed our chance though since we're not rich enough to actually buy a team ... we should have been wooing Georgia Frontiere when she owned the Rams ... marry into the power ... then live the pimpin' life

of course you would have had to have a scrip for industrial strength Viagra to make sure you could fulfill your husbandry duties with the old sow ... but that would have been a small price to pay, right?

[G08]

Man, what I wouldn't give to be someone who makes billions of dollars based on other people ruining their bodies.

Kind of like a glorified pimp, right?

good work if you can get it

we all missed our chance though since we're not rich enough to actually buy a team ... we should have been wooing Georgia Frontiere when she owned the Rams ... marry into the power ... then live the pimpin' life

of course you would have had to have a scrip for industrial strength Viagra to make sure you could fulfill your husbandry duties with the old sow ... but that would have been a small price to pay, right?

Reminds me of this Dave Chappelle skit

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/ib7jnp/ch ... uncensored" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

I'm personally shocked that an old rich white man is a closet bigot.

Er wait, no I'm not at all.

Let' just be glad that he didn't use the "N" word or call the offending players "boys."

Some real plantation bullshit going on here.

There is absolutely no reason why we need to play a "National Antem" of any kind prior to a bunch of dudes throwing a ball around on a field or court. If it's a government proceeding, I get it, but athletes showing how good they are at throwing a ball, I don't.

Should we play the National Anthem prior to playing a game of pool? Spelling bee? How about a game of fucking poker, wait, let me cue up the National Anthem.... Why?

It's all just so effing ridiculous.

I started a thread on that a year or so ago , because I don't get it either ... the whole faux patriotism bullshit

and hey, if you're a NASCAR fan you get to double dip - prayer time with Reverend du juor AND the National Anthem

so I'm with you on this and think it is ridiculous

but, there is history to explain why this is :

Why the Star-Spangled Banner is Played At Sporting Events

The instantly-recognizable song is played before thousands of sporting events every year, but just how did the Star-Spangled Banner come to be a staple of sports in the first place? The answer, it turns out, has to do with World War I.

Baseball fans in the late 19th century might’ve heard live military bands play the Star-Spangled Banner at a game every so often, but the song—which hadn’t yet been designated as the national anthem—wasn’t really a common occurrence at sporting events. That began to change on September 5, 1918, during Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. It was an era when the Red Sox still had Babe Ruth, and the phrase “the last time the Cubs won the World Series” wasn’t yet a joke. In fact, the two teams had won six of the last 15 world championship titles.

Yet even though the event featured two teams at the top of their games, the crowd was somber that day, writes ESPN The Magazine. Since entering the Great War a year and a half ago, more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers had died. And just a day before the game, a bomb had exploded in Chicago, (the city in which the game was held), killing four people and injuring dozens more. In addition, the U.S. government had recently announced that it would begin drafting major league baseball players.

All this sat heavy on the shoulders of both the players and the smaller-than-usual crowd of fans that day. But during the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band began to play the Star-Spangled Banner; and something changed.

As the song began, Red Sox infielder Fred Thomas—who was in the Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series—immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute, according to the Chicago Tribune. Other players turned to the flag with hands over hearts, and the already-standing crowd began to sing. At the song’s conclusion, the previously quiet fans erupted in thunderous applause. At the time, the New York Times reported that it “marked the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.” The song would be played at each of the Series’ remaining games, to increasingly rapturous response. And patriotism played a part right from the start, as the Red Sox gave free tickets to wounded veterans and honored them during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner before the start of the decisive Game 6.

so the history behind the why is interesting and has genuine merit

I don't think that applies any more though

[Wounded Bear]

I'm personally shocked that an old rich white man is a closet bigot.

Er wait, no I'm not at all.

Let' just be glad that he didn't use the "N" word or call the offending players "boys."

Some real plantation bullshit going on here.

There is absolutely no reason why we need to play a "National Antem" of any kind prior to a bunch of dudes throwing a ball around on a field or court. If it's a government proceeding, I get it, but athletes showing how good they are at throwing a ball, I don't.

Should we play the National Anthem prior to playing a game of pool? Spelling bee? How about a game of fucking poker, wait, let me cue up the National Anthem.... Why?

It's all just so effing ridiculous.

I started a thread on that a year or so ago , because I don't get it either ... the whole faux patriotism bullshit

and hey, if you're a NASCAR fan you get to double dip - prayer time with Reverend du juor AND the National Anthem

so I'm with you on this and think it is ridiculous

but, there is history to explain why this is :

Why the Star-Spangled Banner is Played At Sporting Events

The instantly-recognizable song is played before thousands of sporting events every year, but just how did the Star-Spangled Banner come to be a staple of sports in the first place? The answer, it turns out, has to do with World War I.

Baseball fans in the late 19th century might’ve heard live military bands play the Star-Spangled Banner at a game every so often, but the song—which hadn’t yet been designated as the national anthem—wasn’t really a common occurrence at sporting events. That began to change on September 5, 1918, during Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. It was an era when the Red Sox still had Babe Ruth, and the phrase “the last time the Cubs won the World Series” wasn’t yet a joke. In fact, the two teams had won six of the last 15 world championship titles.

Yet even though the event featured two teams at the top of their games, the crowd was somber that day, writes ESPN The Magazine. Since entering the Great War a year and a half ago, more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers had died. And just a day before the game, a bomb had exploded in Chicago, (the city in which the game was held), killing four people and injuring dozens more. In addition, the U.S. government had recently announced that it would begin drafting major league baseball players.

All this sat heavy on the shoulders of both the players and the smaller-than-usual crowd of fans that day. But during the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band began to play the Star-Spangled Banner; and something changed.

As the song began, Red Sox infielder Fred Thomas—who was in the Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series—immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute, according to the Chicago Tribune. Other players turned to the flag with hands over hearts, and the already-standing crowd began to sing. At the song’s conclusion, the previously quiet fans erupted in thunderous applause. At the time, the New York Times reported that it “marked the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.” The song would be played at each of the Series’ remaining games, to increasingly rapturous response. And patriotism played a part right from the start, as the Red Sox gave free tickets to wounded veterans and honored them during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner before the start of the decisive Game 6.

so the history behind the why is interesting and has genuine merit

Really great story and totally believe that in that instance, playing the National Anthem was the right thing to do. I believe that there are other points in history when the National Anthem may be appropriate at a sporting event, such as, after VE day or VJ day, right after 9/11, etc., so I'm not down on the Anthem in general, but to make it standard operational procedure is a bit much, in my estimation.

I don't think that applies any more though

Yep, yep, totally agree.

[southdakbearfan]

As far as the anthem, the sports and military have always closely been tied. Nothing will change that and it's the reason for the anthem being played. In sports history at the beginning through the middle of the 20th century the biggest games were the military schools. I would suspect the percentage of military personnel that are sports fans is significantly higher than the general public.

As far as the comments I have heard some semblance of what McNair said, the "inmates running the asylum" many times over. I would suspect that the media did a nice job of taking the comments out of context or shining them in the worst light possible.

Was it a poor choice of words, probably. Is it as bad as the media would like to portray it, probably not.

[mshu7]

I'd like to hear the context (if anything more than what was printed above) but my knee-jerk response is that I don't think he meant to be racist at all. "Can't let the inmates run the asylum" is the saying that I'm familiar with, maybe it's different in the south.

I *think* he meant to say that you can't let your employees dictate policy for how they are managed, which I guess is true in most management positions.

This X10. That's exactly what the saying is means. It has nothing to do with race. The comment was taken completely out of context. But people love to spin things and make it about them and then cry out for attention because they were somehow offended. We live in such a pussified society these days. People can't go a day in life anymore without having hurt feelings.

Last time I checked the NFL was a business. Players are employees. If they don't like what their bosses say or do, they should look for a job elsewhere. The entitlement factor with some of these players is sickening.

[Rusty Trombagent]

This X10. That's exactly what the saying is means. It has nothing to do with race. The comment was taken completely out of context. But people love to spin things and make it about them and then cry out for attention because they were somehow offended. We live in such a pussified society these days. People can't go a day in life anymore without having hurt feelings.

whenever i have questions about the black experience in america today, i go to mshu.

[Rusty Trombagent]

for serious though, G08, this is the dictionary definition of a Freudian slip. yes the actual idiom is "the inmates running the asylum"... but when the heart of the protest is, and always has been, "police are treating black people horribly", no matter how angry white people try to spin it as anti-troops (white troops, btw) or as a bunch of spoiled babies like my good friend mshu up there, can you understand how these same black people might not take being called inmates in a prison very well?

[UOK]

This thread is going nowhere fast. Take it somewhere else, please.