The NFL stripped the Texans of a fifth-round draft pick and fined them $175,000 for a salary cap violation, and Texans owner Cal McNair does not agree with that decision.
McNair said the Texans worked through the league appeal process to try to explain that the team was not attempting to circumvent the salary cap when it paid for a private facility for then-quarterback Deshaun Watson to work out in while the Texans’ facility was closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic. McNair thought the league should have been more accepting of the Texans’ case.
“We did argue and stated our case several times through the appeals process,” McNair said, via the Houston Chronicle. “There was a little more informal appeal process before the formal appeals process, and I made several calls because I felt the penalty was too harsh for what happened. At the end of the day, it is what it is, and we’re looking forward to having all of this behind us and moving forward.”
Despite losing one pick, the Texans are loaded with draft capital. They own the No. 2 and No. 12 overall picks, one pick in the second round, two in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the seventh.
