Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones Defends Texans Owner Bob McNair

HOUSTON, TX — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defended Houston Texans owner Bob McNair for comments McNair made during an NFL owners meeting last week during discussion about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

Jones was at the meeting with other NFL owners when McNair commented: “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.”

McNair’s comments were reported by ESPN The Magazine, which is due to be published on Nov. 13.

READ: Texans Owner Bob McNair Apologizes For Divisive Anthem Comments

McNair, who is the founder of the Houston Texans organization, apparently stunned several who were in the room, including NFL executive Troy Vincent, whom McNair apologized to afterward.

According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, Jones claimed McNair was not speaking about the players when he made that comment.

"Bob is one of the absolute most admired people, as far as the ownership, there is in the NFL," Jones said Tuesday morning. "I heard him. He did not and was not talking about the players."

The impetus for kneeling during the national anthem began in 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt, citing police brutality against blacks in some areas of the U.S.

Kaepernick, who had been on a professional downward spiral since 2015, when he appeared in only 9 games, was released by the 49ers in 2016, and is not with any NFL team.

McNair apologized twice for the comment, and has asserted he was not speaking about the players in that regard to being “inmates.”

Regardless, his words ignited a firestorm among Houston Texans players who felt that the comments were definitely directed at the players.

On Sunday, Houston Texans, who have traditionally linked arms and stood for the national anthem, took a knee before Sunday’s contest against the Seattle Seahawks as a protest against McNair.

The reaction of some fans were mixed with some critical of the players, and others referring to McNair and other NFL owners as having a plantation mentality, the Houston Chronicle reported.

"Mr. McNair said he's sorry, but he also said what he said in an uninhibited way when he's in a private meeting with the other owners,” Rev Jesse Jackson told the Houston Chronicle. “There should be some kind of sanctions.”

Jackson added that he has reached out to both Jones and McNair but neither have returned his calls.

Image: FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2016, file photo, Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones smiles on the sideline during a preseason NFL football game against the Houston Texans, in Arlington, Texas. The Dallas Cowboys are worth $4.2 billion, making them the most valuable sports franchise for the second straight year, according to Forbes. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins, File)

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