Texans owner Bob McNair put a Texas-sized boot in his mouth at a recent NFL meeting when he reportedly said “we can't have the inmates running the prison.”

His apology Friday morning, saying, in part, "I regret that I used that expression," did little to calm his players, who later in the day had to be persuaded not to walk out on practice en masse, according to ESPN.

Texans players wanted to walkout today in response to owner Bob McNair’s comments, per @sarahbarshop. Had to be persuaded to stay. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 27, 2017

However, at least one player, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, took what coach Bill O'Brien described as "a personal day," that ESPN reported was related to McNair's "inmates" comment though O'Brien declined to comment on that aspect of Hopkins' absence.

What O'Brien did say was that he's "100 percent" with his players after McNair's comment.

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Earlier in what turned into a tumultuous day in Houston, McNair said in his statement: "I regret that I used that expression. 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. I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it."

Statement from Texans Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert C. McNair: pic.twitter.com/EXdwKZ4y4x — Texans PR (@TexansPR) October 27, 2017

After McNair’s initial comment, former NFL player and current NFL executive Troy Vincent told the group of owners he was offended. According to ESPN.com, Vincent said that in all his years of playing in the NFL — during which, he said, he had been called every name in the book, including the N-word — he never felt like an "inmate.”

According to the ESPN report, McNair later pulled Vincent aside, apologized and said his words weren't meant to be taken literally.

Still, not only can the Texans owner expect continued blowback from his own team, and undoubtedly across the league, but the controversy also already had rippled into at least one other spot: the NBA, where Warriors forward Draymond Green described the remark as "Donald Sterling-esque" in an Instagram post, a reference to the former Clippers owner who essentially was forced to sell his team because of alleged racists remarks and behavior.