Cal McNair, the Houston Texans chairman and CEO, apologized Tuesday for an anti-Asian comment he made at a team golf tournament in May.
Bally Sports reported Tuesday that McNair, son of late former owner Bob McNair, made a racially insensitive comment at the Houston Texans Foundation Charity Golf Classic in May. He was referencing the COVID-19 pandemic during public comments to more than 100 spectators.
McNair apologized for using the term "China virus," while talking about the lack of a team golf tournament in 2020.
"My comments at the event last May included an inappropriate choice of words," McNair told Bally Sports. "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."
The offensive term was used on multiple occasions by former President Donald Trump and has been linked to a rise in hate crimes against the Asian American community, per advocacy groups.
Racial insensitivity has been at the forefront in the NFL after emails linked to former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden were revealed earlier this month. The Houston organization is no stranger to insensitive remarks.
Bob McNair, who passed away in 2018, made a crass remark in 2017 when he said NFL owners, "can't have the inmates running the prison." The comment was in reference to player protests that were designed to bring attention to inequality after instances of police brutality toward the Black community.
