Report: Texans Staffers Concerned Players Were Being Watched Away from Facility

Some members of the Houston Texans organization are reportedly concerned players were being tracked while away from the team facilities.  

Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated reported Thursday it was part of a "culture of distrust [that] started to permeate" the franchise under executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, who joined the Texans front office from the New England Patriots in April 2019:

"One player was so convinced he was being followed by someone representing the team that he paid a friend to watch the dark sedan he says he observed frequently parked outside his house. He even went so far as to log license plate numbers of unfamiliar cars. Two other members of the organization shared the player's concerns that members of the team were being surveilled away from the building."

The Texans didn't answer SI's questions specific to the surveillance allegations.

Some members of the Houston organization question whether Easterby's rise from a character coach to an important front-office executive across 10 years in the NFL was warranted.

"When you see him and the big personality and how he's moved up the ladder so fast, you're like, 'Man, this isn't authentic. Something doesn't feel genuine about this,'" a source told SI.

Yet Easterby managed to gain the trust of Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick across six seasons in New England (2013-18) after two years with the Kansas City Chiefs. He's forged a similar bond with Texans CEO Cal McNair.

"[He] is just blinded," a source said to SI about McNair's inability to see Easterby's alleged shortcomings.

Easterby was promoted to his current position with the Texans in January, and he remained in control—the team's official website says he "manages all football operations and directs the overall culture of the organization"—after general manager and head coach Bill O'Brien was fired in October.

Questions have been raised about his football acumen, especially since he was a driving force behind the DeAndre Hopkins trade to the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason, but staff members are concerned it won't matter since he's aligned himself with ownership, per Vrentas and Bishop.

"All you have to do is convince one or two people, then isolate them from the thoughts and feelings of the rest of the staff," a former Texans staff member told SI.

It's a story that may create some pause among general manager and head coaching candidates who may be considered by the Texans during the offseason as they work to fill the dual void left by O'Brien.