[ad_1]
DeAndre Hopkins failed to train after the 2017 comment from Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, comparing NFL players to detainees.
In a GQ interview published Tuesday, the Texan General Receiver admitted that he had almost jumped a match.
McNair, who died in November at the age of 81, reportedly made this remark at a meeting of homeowners in 2017 while discussing how to address the issue of kneeling players during the year. National anthem protesting the problems of social injustice and police brutality.
"We can not let inmates run the jail," McNair, Donald Trump's campaign contributor, told the meeting, according to ESPN.
Hopkins: "Fucking yeah, I was going to sit down"
Hopkins, a supporter of Colin Kaepernick who knelt down to protest, explained his response to McNair's comments during the interview with GQ.
"Fuck yeah, I was about to miss the game," Hopkins said. "But I certainly would not practice. Some members of my team are about to follow me, but they called them back to the stadium. They tried to call me, but I did not go back. Surely not."
The game in question was a match against The Seattle Seahawks saw Hopkins and several of his teammates kneel after he finally decided to get dressed. Hopkins told GQ that he had finally played not to let his teammates down.
Hopkins: "It's like I'm a slave again"
The seventh grade pro who grew up in South Carolina explained how McNair's comments were felt by a man, a descendant of slaves, accompanied by family members who told stories of his life in the south of Jim Crow.
"It's hard for people to understand what it means when your family was a slave," Hopkins said. "You can not understand something like that if your great-uncle does not tell you stories about their parents or grandparents and what they've experienced. It was not so long ago, people could not even drink at the same tap of water.
Basically, Hopkins explained, it made him feel like a slave.
"It's like I'm a slave again," Hopkins said. "Getting crushed. Listen to the master, go to work.
Hopkins gives the benefit of the doubt
Hopkins went on to call McNair "brave man" in the interview, giving him the benefit of the doubt of his education.
"When you grow up in certain places, you talk in a certain way," Hopkins said.
Hopkins, three times Pro Bowler, continued to talk about his support for Kaepernick, noting that prior to the arrival of Deshaun Watson in Houston, he had not had the benefit of working with a quarterback of the Pro Bowl.
After working with Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler and T.J. Yates, Hopkins argued that it was obvious that Kaepernick was being ruled out of the NFL.
"It's not impossible," said Hopkins. "You can not choose why Kaep does not play in the NFL. This guy played in the Super Bowl. "
More from Yahoo Sports:
[ad_2]
Source link