On Sunday, the Houston Texans made it clear what they thought of the team’s owner apparently describing NFL players as “inmates” when the majority of the roster knelt for the national anthem. The Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney followed that up by dressing in a prison jumpsuit at a Halloween party on Monday night.

The Texans, however, have denied it was a jab at owner Bob McNair. “[There] was no hidden meaning behind his Halloween costume,” the Texans’ senior director of communications, Amy Palcic, told the Houston Chronicle. “He was not taking a shot at anyone. It was just that – a costume at a Halloween party.”

Jadeveon Clowney dressed up as an inmate for Halloween, likely a shot at recent comments made by the Texans owner. pic.twitter.com/BkGrerWxTt — Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) October 31, 2017

Clowney, the No1 overall pick in the 2014 draft, has not issued a statement.

McNair angered Texans players last week when he was quoted in an ESPN story as saying “we can’t have the inmates running the prison”, during an NFL owners meeting, where issues such as player protests were discussed.

McNair subsequently apologised for his comments and said he was not referring to players, although another owner at the meeting said it was hard to understand who else the billionaire was talking about.

“I regret that I used that expression,” said McNair. “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.”