Bob McNair Told NFL Players 'You Fellas Need to Ask Your Compadres' to Stop Kneeling

Bob McNair continues to say controversial things about the national anthem protest.

colin kaepernick/Michael Zagaris
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colin kaepernick/Michael Zagaris

In October, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair came under fire when he was quoted as saying "we can't have the inmates running the prison." McNair was addressing NFL players taking a knee during the National Anthem in protest of racial inequality. Players spoke out against McNair's comments, and the owner eventually apologized.

Earlier this month, however, McNair said he only regretted apologizing for his comments.

"I really didn't have anything to apologize for," he said.

On Wednesday, McNair once again finds himself on the hot seat after the New York Times obtained audio of the three-hour meeting, which was arranged to discuss the anthem protest. McNair can be heard directly addressing the players in attendance.

"You fellas need to ask your compadres, fellas, stop that other business, let's go out and do something that really produces positive results, and we'll help you," McNair said.

The "other business" to which McNair referred, of course, was the kneeling.

Eric Reid, Colin Kaepernick's former San Francisco 49ers teammate, reportedly attended the meeting wearing a Kaepernick shirt over his dress shirt and tie and said Kaepernick was being blackballed—a perspective which many have espoused.

"I feel like he was hung out to dry," Reid said of Kaepernick. "Everyone in here is talking about how much they support us. Nobody stepped up and said we support Colin's right to do this. We all let him become Public Enemy No. 1 in this country, and he still doesn't have a job."

Six months later, Kaepernick remains out of the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks, however, are reportedly interested in bringing him in for a workout, and new Raiders coach Jon Gruden recently said he thinks Kaep will land on an NFL roster "soon."

Shortly after the meeting ended, the players and owners released a joint statement: "Today owners and players had a productive meeting focused on how we can work together to promote positive social change and address inequality in our communities. NFL executives and owners joined NFLPA executives and player leaders to review and discuss plans to utilize our platform to promote equality and effectuate positive change. We agreed that these are common issues and pledged to meet again to continue this work together."

Other revelations from the explosive audio include Patriots owner Robert Kraft denouncing Donald Trump. Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie also invoked the president's name. “We’ve got to be careful not to be baited by Trump or whomever else,” he said. "We have to find a way to not be divided and not get baited."

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