Smalltalk » With a stirring rendition of “I’ll Fly Away” marking

Houston Texans founder and owner Bob McNair Dexter Lawrence Jersey , Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wiped tears from his eyes Friday afternoon.“It’s ironic that I’m getting emotional because the only other time I ever teared up was right on this field when the Texans and Bob kicked our butt in the first game that was ever played in this stadium,” Jones said, recalling Houston’s 19-10 win over the Cowboys in their inaugural game in 2002. “The Texans put it on the Cowboys and it was a glorious night to begin the Texans. Bob was so special.”More than 1,000 of McNair’s friends, members of the Houston and NFL community, players and coaches past and present, gathered to pay respects and say goodbye to McNair, who brought the NFL back to Houston for its inaugural season in 2002 after the Oilers moved to Tennessee.Former Secretary of State James A. Baker, a close friend of McNair’s, opened up tributes by saying the gathering was in the “House that Bob Built.” Baker said he and McNair enjoyed a love of politics, football and quail hunting, and said it was former President George H.W. Bush who converted both of them from Democrats to Republicans.Baker talked about McNair’s determination and told a story of how he only saw McNair give up on a quest once in his life, when the two were quail hunting in sweltering south Texas heat. After a long and miserable day, McNair finally said in his Southern drawl, “Calf rope,” an expression similar to “Uncle” or “I give up.”The Rev. Eric Manning provided a welcome and an opening invocation. Manning is the senior pastor at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, the site of a July 2015 race-inspired mass shooting.NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also spoke, calling McNair one of America’s finest sportsmen and business leaders. Goodell talked about that expansion process and how Houston was a long shot early on Deandre Baker Jersey , but McNair never wavered.“Bob was not in it for himself. He wanted to return the NFL to Houston because of his tremendous loyalty to the community,” Goodell said. “He knew that bringing the NFL back would help show the world what an extraordinary place Houston is.”Goodell praised McNair for his faith, integrity, patience, honesty and thoughtfulness.“Not to put any more pressure on you and the team, but you know how much Bob wanted to win a Super Bowl,” Goodell said, looking to Texans coach Bill O’Brien.Texans defensive end J.J. Watt praised McNair for his philanthropy and generosity in the community. Watt recalled a charity event at NRG Stadium when, at the end of the event after “tons of money” had been raised, it was announced that McNair committed to matching everyone’s combined donations.“That’s what Mr. McNair did. He would do the kindest things at random moments, and he would do it many times when people had no idea that he was doing it,” Watt said. “I consider myself lucky to have known him, lucky to have learned from him, and I can only hope that I’m making him proud in the way that we represent his organization.”Dr. Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina, mentioned a commencement speech McNair did at his alma mater in 1999 and how McNair talked about meeting his wife, Janice, and telling her parents they were moving to Texas for a few years to build some capital before returning home.“He then reminded the graduates to never make promises they could not keep,” Pastides said.Dr. Dave Peterson Oshane Ximines Jersey , pastor emeritus at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, talked about McNair’s drive, which he said he believed was instilled in McNair from an early age. Peterson told a story of a young McNair in his small hometown of Forest City, North Carolina who wanted his country dirt road to be paved so badly that he would repeatedly stomp on a strip provided by the state’s transportation department to determine how busy the road was and whether or not it needed to be paved.Peterson said he visited McNair at the hospital on Thanksgiving and said he was saddened to see him suffering. Peterson noted the last few months of McNair’s life were painful, adding that in seeing the pictures and videos paying tribute to McNair, “It’s good to see him smiling again.”McNair died on Nov. 23 at the age of 81. He had battled both leukemia and squamous cell carcinoma in recent years. He died peacefully with wife Janice and his family by his side, the Texans said.Following the tributes, a short video montage highlighted McNair’s life, with a focus on his time as Texans owner.“I’d like to think that I’ll be remembered as an honorable man, as a good Christian man, and that I always did things in a first-class manner and treated people honestly,” McNair said on the video. “I think that would be a good legacy.” The Raiders are flirting with acquiring a shiner on their good eye.The team’s latest calculated risk comes from the decision to sign offensive lineman Richie Incognito, giving him at least his second second chance. Or maybe it’s his third second chance. Or maybe it’s his second third chance.Incognito’s behavior has resulted in not one but two full seasons away from football, one coming in 2014 following the Jonathan Martin incident in Miami and one coming in 2018 after he threatened to shoot up a funeral home — and had the weaponry in his vehicle to do it.Incognito’s litany of bad behavior goes back at least 15 years. He had anger-management issues and assault charges and suspensions while at Nebraska before leaving school in September 2004. He transferred to Oregon, but he lasted there only one week.As a result, multiple teams had Incognito off the board in 2005, but the Rams took him in round three. After three uneventful seasons, Incognito absorbed $35,000 in fines after a 2008 game against Washington for repeated verbal abuse of an official Julian Love Jersey , a face mask foul, and a chop block.The next year, Incognito drew a pair of 15-yard penalties during a game against the Titans. Benched by Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, the two argued on the sidelines. Two days later, the Rams cut Incognito.Claimed on waivers by the Bills, he finished the 2009 season in Buffalo and signed with the Dolphins in 2010. Incognito had a couple of clean years (relatively speaking), before an ugly incident at the team’s annual charity golf event, during which he repeatedly harassed a female volunteer, at one point placing a golf club on her genital. He later paid roughly $30,000 to settle her civil lawsuit, and the Dolphins fined him $55,000.All hell broke loose the next year, with the Martin incident and the Ted Wells investigation that followed. Beyond the harassment and hazing of Martin, Wells found that Incognito and others repeatedly directed racial slurs and taunts to an Asian-American trainer.The Bills and Rex Ryan gave Incognito another second chance in 2015, after more than a year out of the game. Incognito once again re-established himself, but once again it didn’t last. Following a 2017 playoff game against the Jaguars, Jacksonville defensive end Yannick Ngakoue accused Incognito of using racial slurs on the field. Incognito later retired, unretired, fired his agents on Twitter Darius Slayton Jersey , demanded to be released, and was released by the Bills.Last May, he allegedly threw a tennis ball and a dumbbell at another person while at a gym in Florida, resulting in his placement on an involuntary psychiatric hold. In August 2018, Incognito launched into a profane tirade on Twitter after Vikings coach Mike Zimmer denied interest in signing Incognito.Later that month, Incognito was arrested for threatening to shoot employees at a funeral home, while making arrangements following the death of his father. Police found two Glocks, three rifles, and a silencer in Incognito’s car.Employees of the funeral home said that Incognito punched caskets and threw things. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.Against this extensive background of incidents and allegations, why would the Raiders want a guy who’ll turn 36 in July, and who arguably isn’t so obviously talent to justify giving him a job?Remember, Incognito’s latest second chance comes at the expense of someone else. Here, it was Chaz Green, who was cut to make room for Incognito. If Incognito makes it to the 53-man roster, someone else who would have had a job (and who doesn’t have the same sordid background as Incognito) won’t.“You can’t have all boy scouts,�? G.M. Mike Mayock said Tuesday in defending the move. But that’s a copout. Incognito, on the range of renegade players, resides at the polar opposite of “Boy Scout.” He has proven time and again to have a short fuse, issues with impulse control T.J. Hockenson Jersey , and an inability to treat others with proper dignity and respect.As former NFL linebacker Julian Peterson said of Incognito in 2008, “You know, like the FBI’s 20 Most Wanted? Yeah, he’d be on that list.”And yet the Raiders still embraced Incognito. Yes, it’s a low-cost, one-strike, prove-it deal. But what if that next one strike happens? Is it enough to simply cut him at that point, or should the Raiders fairly be scrutinized and criticized for giving him the opportunity to have that next strike while representing Big Shield?Giving safe harbor to dangerous personalities shouldn’t be a matter of a risk-reward analysis, with a team rolling the dice on a nothing-to-lose bet. It should be a matter of what’s right, and what isn’t. Given Incognito’s long and established history of misconduct, this just doesn’t seem right.But it’s right for the Raiders, possibly because the Raiders realize the value of having an offensive lineman with a mean streak and a burning desire to play football in the building. Coach Jon Gruden can point to Incognito as having the kind of toughness that he wants the rest of the offensive (and defensive) linemen to display, and the Raiders can ultimately decide when it’s time to cut the roster from 90 to 53 that Incognito isn’t good enough (and, as Chris Simms pointed out on today) doesn’t fit the scheme well enough to keep him on the team.Regardless of whatever motivation the Raiders may have had, teams should exercise greater discretion when embracing players with checkered pasts. And the league should give them a reason to do so, by imposing meaningful sanctions on any team that gives a second chance to someone who later proves he didn’t deserve it.