Texans Owner Cal McNair Apologizes for Anti-Asian Comment: 'Inappropriate Choice of Words'

Greta Bjornson
·3 min read
Houston Texans Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Cal McNair
Houston Texans Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Cal McNair

Eric Christian Smith/AP/Shutterstock

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair has apologized after making an anti-Asian comment comment earlier this year.

The 60-year-old businessman made the remark while addressing the crowd at a golf tournament in May, according to ESPN. Speaking to about 100 attendees at the Houston Texans Foundation Charity Golf Classic at River Oaks Country Club, McNair said "I'm sorry that we couldn't get together last year, because of the China virus," per Bally Sports. The sports site is the digital platform for the Bally Sports Regional Networks on television, owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The Texans CEO was using the term former President Donald Trump popularized for COVID-19. Despite being deemed xenophobic and inaccurate by organizations like the Yale School of Medicine, the controversial term "China virus" gained traction as the pandemic escalated.

After McNair made his remark, a source told Bally Sports "everyone gasped" while he and his wife, Hannah, "seemed to think it was hilarious." Following her husband's comment, Hannah joked with attendees about his reference to the "China virus," a source told Bally Sports.

Cal McNair of the Houston Texans
Cal McNair of the Houston Texans

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

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On Tuesday, McNair apologized in a statement shared with Bally Sports.

"My comments at the event last May included an inappropriate choice of words," he said. "I immediately apologized to people who approached me then and I apologize again now. I know how important it is to choose my words carefully. I would never want to offend anyone."

A rep for the Texans declined to provide additional comment when reached by PEOPLE.

McNair and his family have owned the Texans since 1999, when the football team was first founded. His father Bob previously served as chairman and CEO before he died in November 2018.

Cal McNair of the Houston Texans
Cal McNair of the Houston Texans

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

RELATED: Houston Texans Owner Bob McNair Dies at 80 After Decades-Long Battle with Multiple Cancers

In 2017, the elder McNair told fellow NFL owners they "can't have the inmates running the prison," in a reference to players demonstrating during the national anthem. In response, two Texans players walked out of practice and Duane Brown, who played for the team at the time, spoke out against the "disrespectful" comment.

Bob later issued an apology, saying in a statement, "I regret that I used that expression," per ESPN.

"I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players. I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally," he said. "I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it."

He later retracted his apology, telling the Wall Street Journal in 2018 that he "didn't have anything to apologize for."

"We were talking about a number of things, but we were also washing some of our dirty linen, which you do internally," Bob said. "You can't do that publicly. That's what I was addressing: The relationship of owners and the league office."

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