NFL protests 2017: What’s happening during Week 8?

A week after the NFL held meetings between owners and players to discuss protests during the national anthem, comments made by Houston Texans owner Bob McNair reignited the controversy yet again.

Now in Week 8 of the 2017 season, protests are again in the spotlight with all eyes on the Texans’ game against the Seattle Seahawks at 4:05 p.m. ET.

In a meeting of owners, not including players, McNair told the group that they “can’t have the inmates running the prison,” according to an in-depth article by ESPN. He quickly apologized for the comment, and then adjusted his apology to say that he was referring to the rift between the league office and owners, but the damage was done.

Many Texans players were insulted by the expression, including wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back D’Onta Foreman, who both chose not to attend practice Friday. Offensive tackle Duane Brown was vocal about how offended he was by McNair’s words.

While the entire team made the trip to Seattle, and McNair tried to smooth things over with a meeting Saturday, the Texans will be in the spotlight Sunday afternoon when the national anthem plays.

But other protests may be on the way too. Texans players weren’t the only ones insulted by McNair’s words and many players — including Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and 49ers linebacker Eric Reid — have consistently protested dating back to the 2016 season.

We’ll keep you updated about demonstrations around the NFL with details as they come along.

In the wake of Bob McNair’s “inmate” comments, most of the Texans players kneeled during the anthem, like they said they would:

Fans in attendance at Seattle’s Century Link Field cheered the Texans players who protested during the national anthem.