HOUSTON — The chairman and chief executive of the Houston Texans has apologized after a report said he declared "we can't have the inmates running the prison" during a meeting of NFL owners over what to do about players who kneel in protest during the national anthem.
In his statement released Friday, Bob McNair says he regretted using the expression and said he was "not referring to our players."
"I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally," McNair said. "I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it.