Bill O'Brien Pledging to Kneel With Texans Players is His First Good Decision of the Offseason

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien has had himself a rough offseason. He that traded away arguably the team's single best player in DeAndre Hopkins, a decision that created tension between himself and some members of the team.

This week, however, O'Brien publicly announced a decision which may very well be the best (or perhaps only) one he has made in the last few months.

On Friday, the Texans head coach stated that he would join his players in taking a knee during the national anthem if they decide to peacefully protest before their games this upcoming season. O'Brien has been vocal about the state of race relations in America following the death of George Floyd, with reports saying he was "emotional" and "sad" about it.

"Yeah, I'll take a knee—I'm all for it," O'Brien said, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "The players have a right to protest, a right to be heard, and a right to be who they are. They are not taking a knee because they're against our flag. They're taking a knee because they haven't been treated equally in this country for over 400 years."

The decision to support his players in peaceful protest shows that Bill O'Brien, like an increasing number of other leaders in professional, gets it. He sees that what his players go through off the field impacts them in ways he cannot understand as a white man in America, and that the issues are beyond football.

Given prior decisions he has made, specifically the Hopkins trade, this latest development surprised some Texans players.

"The tone has changed. I wasn't expecting Bill O'Brien to be that thorough and spot-on," safety Michael Thomas said.

The decision to protest peacefully isn't the only thing O'Brien has done to show support for the cause. He and other Texans players and staff attended funeral services for Floyd in Houston.

Finally, it seems as if Bill O'Brien has figured out how to be a leader for his locker room.