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Houston Texans: Bob McNair’s legacy is honorable yet quite complicated

By Brian K. Patterson

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 30: Houston Texans Owner Bob McNair celebrates after the game between the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions at NRG Stadium on October 30, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 30: Houston Texans Owner Bob McNair celebrates after the game between the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions at NRG Stadium on October 30, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 03: Houston Texans owner Bob McNair introduces Bill O’Brien as the new head coach of the Houston Texans at a press conference at Reliant Stadium on January 3, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 03: Houston Texans owner Bob McNair introduces Bill O’Brien as the new head coach of the Houston Texans at a press conference at Reliant Stadium on January 3, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

McNair’s honorable side

In 1999, then-energy magnate McNair barreled through with $700 million that he raised to pay the franchise fee to own an NFL team.  As a result, a star was born in the Houston Texans that will continue to shine brilliantly well after his passing.

Speaking of shine — according to Forbes, the franchise is now valued at $2.8 billion, which is 9th among NFL franchises and one of the most valuable in the world.

I still remember when the infamous, accentuated bull-like logo was unveiled back in September 2000, I had just started my first year of college and was getting some work done in the computer lab.  There were no smartphones back then to get the information quickly but I had sidetracked — as I sometimes did to check on the latest news — and I happened to come across the press release on the Harris County Sports Authority’s Web site as I recollect that HoustonTexans.com was not up-and-running just yet.

I recall reading the print-version of the story in the Houston Chronicle the next day as they weren’t as quick with rapid reaction stories on the Web as they are today’s era of instant gratification of getting information quickly.

Now as we transition to nearly two decades later, it’s amazing to see the franchise mature into what it is today, which is still a defined state of evolution.  There’s no question that football is here to stay in Houston and that five-year period was extremely hard on Houston football fans alike, including myself.

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McNair has always been known as an immense philanthropist, having donated more than $500 million to charitable efforts through his foundation, which is in his and wife Janice’s namesake.

He’s donated to a multitude of schools, organizations like the YMCA for the betterment of inner-city youth and notably paying for the funerals of the nine victims that lost their lives at the hands of a disturbed gunman at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. some three years ago.

Dylann Roof, who has been sentenced to the death penalty, admitted to the despicable act of violence and had proclaimed himself as a white supremacist which was the motivation behind the shootings.

During this past off season, he took a trip accompanied by six Texans players with ties to South Carolina to visit the church where the deadly shootings occurred.

The man has done a lot of good but the controversial aspect of his image can’t be ignored.

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