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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Welcome back, Justin! Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images.

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will make his season debut Friday night at the Washington Nationals.

Houston manager Joe Espada made the announcement Wednesday.

“Getting him back is huge because it brings a level of confidence to our team, a boost of confidence that we’re going to get someone who’s been an MVP, a Cy Young (winner) on the mound,” Espada said. “It's (good) for the morale and to get stuff started and moving in the right direction.”

The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder. He made two rehabilitation starts, the first for Triple-A Sugar Land on April 7 before Saturday’s start for Double-A Corpus Christi.

Espada wouldn't say how many pitches the 41-year-old would be limited to but said they'll keep an eye on his workload.

“We've got to be careful how hard we push him early,” Espada said. “I know he’s going to want to go and stay out there and give us an opportunity to win, but we've got to be cautious of how hard we push him early in the season.”

Verlander wasn’t thrilled with the results in his rehabilitation starts, but he said Monday that those games were valuable in getting him prepared to come off the IL.

He allowed seven hits and six runs — five earned — in four innings against Frisco on Saturday. He struck out three, walked one and threw 51 of 77 pitches for strikes.

Verlander allowed six earned runs and struck out six while pitching into the fourth inning for Sugar Land on April 7.

The Astros have gotten off to a tough start with Verlander and fellow starters Framber Valdez and José Urquidy on the injured list. They enter Wednesday's games last in the AL West with a 6-13 record.

Espada hopes Verlander can be the boost the team needs to get on track.

“It’s good to get him back in the rotation,” Espada said. “With what he means to this club just to get him back on track, getting some innings from him (to) build our rotation with the pieces that we need to move forward is exciting.”

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