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.
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Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans
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Houston Texans, owner of the NFL expansion franchise, Bob McNair
at a press conference announcing the signing of the first ten of the team
players on December 29, 2001 in Houston. The new franchise is currently
limited to ten players, may sign free agents on January 8, 2002 but
select the bulk of their list when drafting the NFL extension project in February
18, 2002. REUTERS / Richard Carson
RJC / ME
On October 9, 2011, Mark Davis (left), son of Albert, owner of Oakland Raider, talks with the owner of Houston Texans, Bob McNair (C). The latter is greeted on the field before their NFL football game against the Houston Texans. Al Davis, the declared Oakland Raiders owner of the National Football League, a Hall of Fame member, died Saturday at the age of 82, the team's official website said. REUTERS / Richard Carson (USA – Tags: FOOTBALL SPORT)
Former North Carolina state defenseman Mario Williams (C), wears the Texans jersey alongside Texas owner Bob McNair (right) and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue , having been selected by the Texans as the first pick in the 2006 NFL draft on the radio. City Music Hall in New York on April 29, 2006. REUTERS / Jeff Zelevansky
Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, greets fans of the Texans before the start of the season of his football team against the San Diego Chargers in San Diego, California on September 9, 2013. REUTERS / Mike Blake (USA) – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL PROFILE)
Jacksonville, Florida – November 12: Houston Texans owner Bob McNair watches before the Jacksonville Jaguars game on November 12, 2006 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Texans defeated the Jaguars 13-10. (Photo by Bill Baptist / Getty Images)
HOUSTON – AUGUST 15: Houston Texans owner Bob McNair attends a preparatory game between the Houston Texans and the New York Jets at Reliant Stadium on August 15, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey / Getty Images)
October 05, 2008: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and Texan owner Bob McNair discuss before the Colts game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Photo by John Rivera / SMI Icon / Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA – JANUARY 13: Houston Texans owner Bob McNair watched before the 2013 AFC divisional playoff game between New England Patriots and Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Mass. . (Photo by Jim Rogash / Getty Images)
Houston, Texas – November 22: Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, reacts after his team won the New York Jets game at NRG Stadium on November 22, 2015 in Houston, Texas. The Texans defeated the Jets 24-17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 09: Head Coach Bill O 'Brien of the Houston Texans meets up with his owner Bob McNair in the AFC Wild Card's first-leg match against the United States. Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium on January 9, 2016 in Houston, Texas. Kansas City Chiefs won 30-0. (Photo by Bob Levey / Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 3: Houston Texans No. 3 Tom Savage talks to owner Bob McNair ahead of the Tennessee Titans game at Nissan Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 14: Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, on the sidelines before the Division's game against the Houston New England Patriots in the playoffs on January 14, 2017 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. . (Photo by Tim Clayton / Corbis via Getty Images)
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Hopkins: "God, I was about 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 match was a clash against the Seattle Seahawks, in which Hopkins and several of his teammates took a knee after finally deciding to dress. Hopkins told GQ that he had finally decided to play 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. "
