Texans CEO Cal McNair on George Floyd: 'These Injustices Cannot Continue'

Houston Texans chairman and chief operating officer Cal McNair spoke Wednesday about the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and the ongoing issues of racial discrimination and police brutality that disproportionately affect the black community.

The Texans released McNair's comments on Twitter: 

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien also made a statement Wednesday during a conference call with reporters, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. He said in part:

"Our heart goes out to [Floyd's] family. Our hearts go out to the black community in this country, especially in this city. We stand by you and we are ready to do our part in this community. I think everyone has to admit their mistakes along the way.

"We all have to stand up and understand what's going on in this country right now is wrong. It's wrong relative to many, many things. I had a great conversation with a friend yesterday. A friend of mine, who I won't mention his name, but he talked to me. He's a black man and he talked to me a lot about his experiences growing up in Miami and living on the West Coast and it's not just police brutality, although that's what we're talking about right now. It's corporate America, it's professional sports, it's the medical area, it's the legal area—it's everything. We all have to do our part. We all have to do it now."

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and linebackers Peter Kalambayi and Jacob Martin joined the march in Houston on Tuesday. Floyd was killed in Minneapolis but was originally from Houston, and his family was also a part of that march. 

Defensive lineman JJ Watt also commented on Floyd's killing in an Instagram post Monday. He wrote in part:

"When I first saw the video of George Floyd's murder, I was disgusted and upset. In no simple terms, George Floyd should be alive right now. There were many ways in which the situation could have been remedied, all of which would have prevented his death. I have never had to feel that fear for my life. I have never had to experience a situation where I felt threatened simply because of the color of my skin. I can't sit here and pretend to know what that feels like. But I can understand and acknowledge that it's wrong and that nobody should ever feel discriminated against because of the color of their skin. Racism is a problem and silence won't solve it."

Floyd was killed after then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest. Chauvin and three officers who looked on, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were all fired.

Chauvin was the first to be arrested and was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The murder charge was elevated to second-degree Wednesday. The other three officers were charged with unintentional aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. 

Floyd lived in Houston until four or five years ago, when he moved to Minneapolis.