Bob McNair: NFL games are ‘not the place for political statements’
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has been very vocal in opposing national anthem protests, and it seems safe to assume he would support any rule the NFL wanted to implement outlawing such demonstrations.
With NFL owners expected to discuss the current national anthem policy at the owners meetings this week, there is obvious disagreement among some of the most powerful figures the league. On Sunday, McNair reiterated that he believes there should be no kneeling or protesting during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Bob McNair on NFL's anthem policy: "We’re going to deal with it in such a way, I think, that people will understand that we want everybody to respect our country, respect our flag. And our playing fields, that’s not the place for political statements."
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) March 25, 2018
McNair also alluded to the current policy, which says that players should stand for the anthem but does not require them to do so.
“We have a policy manual now that says they must be on the sideline and they should stand and hold the helmet in their left hand,” he added. “I interpret that to mean that’s what they should be doing.”
No actual changes are expected to be implemented, but discussions could get animated. McNair’s opinion is not shared among all of his peers, as evidenced by New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson’s thoughts on the issue.
.@nyjets owner Christopher Johnson strongly opposes any @NFL policy change that would restrict player expression: “I can't speak to how other people run their teams, but I just think that trying to forcibly get the players to shut up is a fantastically bad idea."
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) March 25, 2018
Earlier this month, a report indicated that player agents believe McNair is essentially blacklisting players who have taken part in political demonstrations. Even if others agree with McNair, forcing players to stand would be a public relations nightmare for the league. It still seems unlikely.
