Houston Texans owner Bob McNair made a questionable decision to comment on the allegations against soon-to-be former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
NFL ownership is an exclusive club in which the 32 owners tend to become a group of close-knit allies. With that in mind it shouldn’t be too shocking when an owner came out to defend Jerry Richardson in light of the allegations that led to the team being up for sale.
On Sunday, Houston Texans owner, Bob McNair made some statements in support of Richardson but they are questionable at best when looking at the nature of the allegations.
"“I understand,” McNair said as reported by David Newton of ESPN. “Sometimes people choose to try to make something go away rather than fighting it. I think his regret is he didn’t fight some of these things. Sometimes just to get rid of it, if you can get rid of it, do it.”"
The “it” that McNair is referencing in his statement are the multiple allegations of racial and sexual misconduct that hit Richardson at the end of 2017. According to the Sports Illustrated piece by Viv Bernstein and L. Jon Wertheim, there are multiple instances in which Richardson elected to settle with former employees over legal matters in which he was accused of either sexual or racial misconduct. This revelation led to the NFL launching an investigation into Richardson and his announcement that he will sell the team at the end of the 2017 season.
“I hope this thing turns out that he’s innocent,” McNair continued. “They alleged. I don’t know. Some of the comments he might have made could have been made jokingly and misunderstood. I’m sure he didn’t mean to offend anybody.”
While it’s understandable for McNair to come to Richardson’s defense, this is still a very questionable and troubling move. McNair, who has had his own social positions scrutinized as of late, is making a claim that dismisses the serious nature of the allegations in which Richardson is facing.
This is the same owner who has made multiple statements disparaging players that have protested against injustice in recent years and made the controversial statement about “inmates running the prison.” For him to come out in support of Richardson doesn’t help the situation for Richardson, his brand nor the NFL as a whole.
The NFL has been heavily criticized for its handling of misconduct in recent years. When players face allegations they are often met with harsh punishments even without the opportunity at due process. NFL owners, when hit with equally questionable allegations, are not given the same form of punishments. At a time when the microscope is hovering closely over the league, situations such as these need to be handled justly and with the same type of scrutiny across the board.
To hear McNair come out with this statement makes one wonder just how serious he sees the nature of these allegations. This is not a question that the league or his team wants to face at a time when the NFL is under such scrutiny that can lead to a decline in popularity.
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The sale of the Carolina Panthers is a story that won’t go away, even after Richardson transfers ownership over to another person or group. The allegations he’s facing need to be seriously vetted to show players, fans, employees and owners that this type of behavior will not be accepted in any shape or form. Bob McNair’s comments fly in the face of that idea as he tries to support Jerry Richardson.