If you find yourself in a situation where you have to do a media interview in order to prove that your NFL franchise isn’t racist, you’re probably already behind the eight-ball on that issue.
That’s where Houston Texans CEO Cal McNair finds himself after two consecutive years in which his team has fired a Black head coach after only one season. It’s not only pretty rare for a head coach to only get one year to prove himself, but Black coaches have routinely said that they get less of a chance to succeed than their white counterparts. It also doesn’t help that the Texans reportedly almost hired Josh McCown, a white former quarterback with no major coaching experience before the backlash caused by Brian Flores’ lawsuit made that a pretty bad PR move and they hired Lovie Smith instead.
Stephen A. Smith recently said that Black coaching candidates should avoid applying for the Texans’ job given their track record. Fellow ESPN talent Robert Griffin III added that the news “shouldn’t sit right with anyone.”
Texans GM Nick Caserio recently told reporters that race is not a factor in who he hires and fires. Now, team CEO Cal McNair and his wife Hannah McNair are making the rounds to let everyone know they’re not a bunch of racists over there.
“This may be a little bit sensitive, but we’re not a racist organization. And I’m just putting that out there. We’re just not,” Hannah McNair told SportsRadio 610 on Friday. “I would say, from the start of this organization, Cal’s dad was very intentional with the fellow owners he brought in and you could see a very diverse group there.”
“I challenge people that say that, take a closer look,” Cal McNair added. “Peel back the onion a little bit more, take a little time, look at who we are before you make that judgment.”
Hannah McNair on misperceptions about ownership group: "This may be a little bit sensitive … we're not a racist organization … Cal's dad was very intentional with the fellow owners he brought in, and you could see a very diverse group there, and back when it was not popular." pic.twitter.com/Ui7gV5ZCnO
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) January 13, 2023
This is one of those situations where words aren’t really going to make much of a difference. Actions are what will matter for the Texans moving forward. And the “we can’t be racist because the rich white guy who owns the team included some minorities in the ownership group” defense doesn’t quite do it.
Plus, you know, maybe don’t send the guy who once had to apologize for using a racist slur out to tell everyone you’re not racist.
