Texans' Postgame Mood Indicates More to Come over 'Inmates' Remark

SEATTLE — The game was splendid, a showcase for a stunning young quarterback and crafty veteran one. The game was bonkers. The game likely won't be forgotten for a long time. The larger story, however, had nothing to do with the contest.

In easily the most entertaining game of the season so far, the Seahawks beat Houston, 41-38. Deshaun Watson showed why he's one of the great passers in this league despite being a rookie, and Russell Wilson responded with a clinic of his own.

There were 988 yards of combined offense, 46 first downs, 10 touchdowns, a pick-six, a Jimmy Graham sighting and a partridge in a pear tree. The game was the first in NFL history where both quarterbacks posted at least 400 passing yards, at least four passing touchdowns each and at least 30 rushing yards each.

"That was a fun one to play in," said Wilson. On the last series, Wilson told the players: Have no fear. They didn't, and the Seahawks scored the decisive touchdown.

Yet as good as the game was, what happened before it, and afterward, was just as spectacular, and perhaps more important.

Before the fireworks in the contest itself, there was a solemn moment during the national anthem as almost the entire Texans team took a knee.

One group of players, about a dozen or so, kneeled with arms intertwined. All but approximately 10 players either took a knee or sat. It was, by far, the largest single-team protest we've seen in what is now the era of NFL protests.

The game was an exquisite battle on a gorgeous Seattle day. Yet the primary story of the afternoon, and the one that continues to evolve, affecting the very core of the NFL and its future, was the story of the Texans and the protests.

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One of the major differences with the Texans taking a knee wasn't just the size of the protest but also the reaction of the crowd. The fans at CenturyLink didn't boo as other crowds have when NFL players protested during the anthem. It was highly noticeable.

The protest came two days after ESPN The Magazine's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. reported that Houston owner Bob McNair, at a recent meeting with owners and other league officials, appeared to compare players protesting to "inmates running the prison."

Players across the NFL were enraged by McNair's remark, none more than the Texans. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that star receiver DeAndre Hopkins skipped out on practice because of McNair's remark, and offensive lineman Duane Brown shredded McNair, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. (The Texans traded Brown to the Seahawks on Monday for cornerback Jeremy Lane, a 2018 fifth-round pick and a 2019 second-round pick, according to multiple reports.)

Then came the postgame talk, and it was evident that this new chapter in this ongoing story is not over.

Several players told B/R the situation was far more dire than people know. They wouldn't go into detail why, making it clear the situation was still extremely sensitive.

Texans players did make it clear, however, there remained great displeasure with McNair. Brown said when the team met Saturday with McNair, it "didn't go well."

"We're a family," said cornerback Kevin Johnson, talking of the players. "As a team we wanted to send a message."

When coach Bill O'Brien was asked if he supported the players, he responded: "I support my players 100 percent. I love my players. I support them 100 percent."

Was it difficult for the team to prepare with the McNair story in the background?

"Nope," O'Brien said.

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

But the problems of this player movement, and the lack of a consistent, dominant messenger—with Colin Kaepernick out of the league after launching it—were on display Sunday, too.

Hopkins was clearly angry over McNair's words. Yet after the game, Hopkins declined to elaborate on why. It was the perfect time to make a statement about the reason Houston players did what they did, and explain to the curious, or the doubting, what made the players act or how they organized.

Hopkins instead answered a number of protest questions with "the Seahawks played a good game." He wanted no part of discussing it. It was a curious response.

This issue remains a huge one across football. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL for collusion, and players are still kneeling during the anthem. There's already been one meeting between owners and players, and another might come next week. President Donald Trump has criticized the NFL, and in Houston, the issue between the players and McNair is far from resolved.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.