Texans would miss out if they aren't interested in players who protested
A week from now, the Astros will head to Washington, D.C., for a visit to the White House. Good for them.
It is a special honor afforded to sports teams in celebration of a championship. I would have accepted the invite, too.
On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors' decision not to make the same visit was an honorable one.
Golden State turned Oval Office silliness into something far more positive than a Rose Garden photo-op.
"In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we'll constructively use our trip to the nation's capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion - the values that we embrace as an organization," the Warriors said in a statement after President Donald Trump withdrew an invitation that wouldn't have been accepted anyway.
The NBA defending champions spent Tuesday evening at the National Museum of African American History and Culture with a group of 50 children from Kevin Durant's nearby hometown and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), an organization that assists families of military who are killed while serving.
We won't have to worry about a Texans visit to the White House anytime soon, but considering how much money he spent helping President Trump get elected, if the Texans did get lucky, Bob McNair might demand his players accept such an invitation.
And punish any who chose to decline.
Some former Texans believe that would be the case. That perception, even if inaccurate, could become a problem.
Comment still an issue
The Texans haven't been freed from the public relations handcuffs slapped on them after McNair's comment at a league meeting last fall that referenced the "inmates running the prison."
Texans players didn't buy McNair's apology that he wasn't calling the players inmates.
This could be a factor in the Texans' free-agency pursuits. But money talks, and the Texans have plenty to spend.
But there may be another issue that will affect the Texans' offseason player acquisitions.
I spoke with two NFL agents this week who said word is the Texans aren't interested in any players who participated in pregame kneel-downs in protest of police brutality.
There is no directive within the organization, but it is considered to be understood that as desperate as the Texans are to bring in talent, the pool of potential signees and draftees will not include anyone who has participated in protests or are likely to.
Relax. The Houston Texans are not a racist organization.
Passing such judgment on another's moral compass is grossly unfair when based on a few incidents.
Yet, the Texans' owner has been racially tone deaf often enough that many believe race is a significant factor in how the team runs its business.
There are many who believe if McNair could field a team with all-white, all-conforming all-pro talent, he would.
You might be shocked at how some within the organization have responded when asked about the head of the team's perceived racism over the years.
From uncomfortable shrugs, to comments like "I'm not surprised people think that," to the unfortunate and laughable "but our general manager was black" defense. I've been told that twice in the past couple weeks.
Pointing to Rick Smith, who recently took a leave of absence from the position he held since 2006, as evidence that the team owner doesn't have a race problem is so misguided.
I mean, Trump's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is black.
And former Reds owner Marge Schott even had well-paid black players on her team. Granted, a witness testified that she referred to them as "million-dollar (N-words)," which she denied, but said if she did say such a thing it was "kiddingly."
Different kind of race
That the Texans have often been a bungling, stumbling, blundering organization isn't about race. Not that kind of race.
It's about not knowing how to run the race. It's about walking while other teams are running. It's about, at times, running the race backward.
If the Texans are determined to field a team without players who are concerned about their community enough to occasionally be outspoken, or to perhaps participate in a silent protest, they are risking turning away players who could help them win a Super Bowl. That would be a mistake.
Not that it is a unique stance for an NFL team to have, but it's a particular stressor for a franchise that has never won anything significant.
Aside from the one serial woman-beater the Texans signed as a free agent about 10 years ago, McNair has long had a policy of bringing in so-called good guys.
If the Texans have decided players who have or will participate in peaceful protests of injustice are bad guys, they will miss out on some good football players. Not to mention, some truly good guys, good citizens.
Such a team wouldn't deserve to win.
Good thing McNair can get a personal invite to the White House any time.
