Pattern of behavior

Patrick Creighton: Is it time to face facts with Texans owner Bob McNair?

Patrick Creighton: Is it time to face facts with Texans owner Bob McNair?
Is it time to question Texans owner Bob McNair? Bob Levey/Getty Images

Bill Parcells has a famous quote. “You are what your record says you are.”  Bob McNair’s record right now isn’t looking very good.

In October, at a meeting between owners and players regarding demonstrations during the playing of the national anthem, McNair used the regrettable phrase “can’t have the inmates running the prison.”  NFL EVP of Football Operations Troy Vincent got up and left he was so angry. Texans players were incensed, and some even walked out of practice. McNair tried to smooth things over with the team, but failed.

Twenty days ago, stories broke about how the Texans wouldn’t consider signing a player who either had demonstrated during the anthem or may demonstrate during the anthem in the future.  McNair clearly has shown very little understanding of issues that are important to a majority of his player over the last six months. (While the Texans did have the PR deparment issue a denial of this, it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on, and McNair himself was silent).

Sunday, according to reports, McNair let loose another doozy in another owners’ meeting.  Actually, he let loose two of them.

In one instance, he made it abundantly clear he has no concept of why players demonstrate for social justice and against excessive police force and brutality vs. African Americans with his comments on the 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.”

Everyone with half of a brain understands that the demonstrations have nothing to do with disrespect to America, or to our veterans, yet here’s an NFL owner demonstrating that facts should never get in the way of a good story or quote.

(Cue the K-Tel Records pitchman) But wait, there’s more!

McNair also took up for maligned Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who is selling the team under the duress of being investigated for multiple incidents of sexual harassment.  Here’s McNair’s defense of his rich, white fellow owner:

“Some of the comments could have been made jokingly.  I’m sure he didn’t mean to offend anybody.”

So now, Bob McNair is telling us that inappropriate sexual comments made as jokes in the workplace are OK? I’m pretty sure the government differs with you on this, Bob, not to mention the women who were subjected to the harassment.  These women will also tell you there was a lot more than just "inappropriate joking comments" that occurred.

The optics are horrifying.  Issues that are important to African American players must be squashed, and it’s OK for old, rich, white guys to be total pervs when they own the business.

To see McNair essentially challenge players that they are going to stand up in the same meeting he’s making excuses for a sexual harasser is straight lunacy.  Apparently priorities are mixed up here.

Unless McNair has his priorities perfectly aligned, because fans don’t get angry over pervert owners, only players who want equality.  No one is threatening his pocketbook over protecting a creep. Money always trumps doing the right thing.

This is why the comments made by Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive (an immigrant from Bombay, no less) were so important.  He understands the place professional sports hold in our society and the power of the platform they have to affect positive change.  This is something NFL owners refuse to even acknowledge.

If once is an outlier, twice is a coincidence, and three times is pattern, maybe we need to accept the facts with Bob McNair.

His record is on full display.  You get to be the judge.

Patrick Creighton is the host of “Nate & Creight” heard Mon-Fri 1-3p on SportsMap 94.1FM, and “Sports & Shenanigans” Sundays 12-5p CT on SB Nation Radio.  Follow him on Twitter at @pcreighton1



 

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The Angels beat the Astros, 4-1. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.

Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.

The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.

Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.

Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.

Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.

Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.

Key moment

Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.

Key Stat

Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.

Up next

Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.

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