This NFL owner's words stirred a pot that was already boiling

Just when you think the cultural battle over ongoing national anthem protests by NFL players couldn't get any more incendiary, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair found a way to stoke some more fires during a meeting with other owners, league officials, and players.

According to a deep-dive into the meeting from ESPN, McNair, speaking in support of other owners who opposed the protests, said, "We can't have the inmates running the prison."

This, of course, is not a very sensitive thing to say given the context of the protests: started by Colin Kaepernick as a means of protesting the police-involved killings of unarmed black men, continued by a group of mostly black players, facing criticism and pressure from a group of mostly white owners concerned about their bottom line.

Adding another wrinkle to proceedings: McNair, like other owners including Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys) and Robert Kraft (New England Patriots). was a huge donor for President Donald Trump, who has been infamously critical of the protests.

In case you're wondering about the reception of the quote, the ESPN story notes that the comment "stunned some in the room." Current NFL exec and former player Troy Vincent reportedly voiced frustration over McNair's comment and McNair reportedly later apologized personally to Vincent.

Still, once ESPN's story, including McNair's comments, started circulating Friday morning, the backlash was swift and harsh.

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McNair responded by issuing an apology in which he said:

"I regret that I used that expression. I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players. I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it."

Still, to use another expression, the horse was out of the barn on this one.

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No word yet on what, if any, punishment will be levied against McNair for his comments, but the best guess so far is not a single thing.