Andre Johnson Almost Skipped Texans Ceremony over Bob McNair Comments

Andre Johnson said he almost skipped his Houston Texans Ring of Honor ceremony in November because of team owner Bob McNair's "inmates running the prison" comment while discussing players' protesting racial inequality during the national anthem.

Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle reported comments Johnson made about the situation during an appearance on the Now What? With Arian Foster podcast, which was released Monday.

"I wouldn't say it surprised me, but I just didn't like it," he said. "To know you did so much for a franchise and to have him come out and say something like that.

"At the end of the day, you don't make the money if we don't run it. If you take some people off the street and put them in there, nobody's coming to watch that. It was real touchy with me. I even thought about not doing the ring ceremony."

McNair's remarks from a meeting in October received renewed attention last week when he told Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal that his only regret was apologizing for the comment.

Foster, who played alongside Johnson on the Houston offense for six years, said on the podcast he made a last-minute decision not to attend the ceremony, per Young.

"I planned on going and on the day of, I was like 'I can't look at (McNair) in the face,'" he said. "Because I'm not going to shake his hand and I wasn't going to pretend like I wanted to shake his hand."

Johnson also addressed McNair's reported displeasure with players' happiness following the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. Former Texans tight end Owen Daniels told ESPN 97.5 Houston that McNair even told the players "it's not the outcome some of us were looking for" (via Pro Football Talk).

He said the owner and his son, Cal McNair, walked past them during a cookout in the parking lot the next day.

"You could definitely tell they were uncomfortable," he told Foster.

Johnson, who earned seven Pro Bowl selections during his 12 years with the Texans, is the team's all-time leader in catches (1,012), receiving yards (13,597) and receiving touchdowns (64).