On the field, it’s been a magical season for the Texans. Off the field, a legal fight among members of the McNair family clouds the team’s success.
Via multiple reports, Robert Cary McNair, Jr., has asked a court to find team owner Janice McNair declared incapacitated and to appoint a guardian. The application was filed on November 27.
Janice McNair, 87, is opposing the filing, along with son Cal McNair, the CEO of the Texans.
In December, Janice McNair filed an affidavit accusing Cary McNair of “seeking to limit or terminate my rights and appoint himself as guardian of my estate.” The affidavit also accuses him of attempting to obtain “confidential financial and personal information.” She has asked for all court records to be sealed, arguing that the application is part of a “family dispute” and alleging that public disclosure of the details of the fight would have a “serious impact on the Texans.”
Cal McNair submitted a separate affidavit including similar if not identical allegations.
“I have ownership interests in the Houston Texans NFL Franchise and am currently serving as the Houston Texans Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,” Cal McNair wrote in his affidavit, via Click2Houston.com. “The details of this family dispute becoming public will have a serious impact on the Texans. It will create a needless and baseless media stir regarding the ownership and direction of the Texans, thereby negatively affecting our employees, business partners, and the team.
A temporary order issued in December sealed the records while the issue of whether the records will remain sealed plays out in court. A hearing on whether the records will remain sealed was scheduled for Tuesday.
Janice McNair became the principal owner of the Texans in 2018, after team founder Bob McNair died. If Cary McNair successfully becomes the guardian of his mother’s estate, he could (in theory) sell the team.
Bob McNair paid a $700 million expansion fee for the Texans, who joined the NFL in 2002. The Commanders sold last year for $6.05 billion.
