More Than 30 Houston Texans Take a Knee to Protest Remark

Dozens of Houston Texans made good on their promise to protest during the national anthem before their game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday. More than 30 Texans took a knee during the anthem and several sat, USA Today reports. They were protesting Texans owner Bob McNair's remark that "we can't have the inmates running the prison," which he reportedly made during discussions on NFL player protests. Only about 10 Texans stood for the anthem in Seattle, most of them with a hand on a teammate's shoulder. At least seven Seahawks players also refused to stand for the anthem, as they have been doing all season, the Guardian reports.

There were a "lot of emotions running through our team," left tackle Duane Brown says, per ESPN. "But just a huge sense of unity, I think we all felt, just coming out and playing for each other. And that was it. Forgetting everything else. Once kickoff started, we tried to block out any other distractions we may have had and try and go to work." McNair has apologized twice for the remark, which he says was about the league office, not players. He met with players on Saturday, though Brown says the meeting "didn't go too well." The Seahawks ended up winning 41-38. (The NFL will not be punishing players who refuse to stand for the anthem.)