NFL owner forced to apologize after comparing players to ‘inmates’

• Houston Texans owner Bob McNair made provocative statement over protests
• ‘I regret that I used that expression. I never meant to offend anyone,’ he says

Bob McNair, the Houston Texans owner, faced a growing backlash on Friday after saying “we can’t have the inmates running the prison” in response to NFL players taking a knee during the United States national anthem. He later issued a public apology.

In a report on ESPN, McNair’s provocative statement at a meeting last week between owners, team executives and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “stunned some in the room”.