Texans HC Bill O'Brien will kneel with players during national anthem

Following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who was killed in Minneapolis police custody on May 25 after a white officer kneeled on Floyd's neck for roughly nine minutes, Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien canceled all June 9 meetings so players and other personnel could attend Floyd's memorial service held in Houston.  

O'Brien is prepared to take a stand by dropping to a knee alongside players when the 2020 season begins. 

Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, O'Brien will participate in the protest movement made famous by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 and kneel during playings of the national anthem ahead of games. O'Brien told the Houston Chronicle:

"Yeah, I'll take a knee — I'm all for it. The players have a right to protest, a right to be heard and a right to be who they are. They're 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."

As ESPN's Sarah Barshop reported in March 2018, O'Brien has repeatedly publicly supported Houston players who kneeled during "The Star-Spangled Banner" as a silent protest against police violence and racial injustices.

Earlier this week, New England Patriots running back James White, who was among a handful of New England players who kneeled before a 2017 regular-season game, said Patriots players plan to protest later this fall.

A recent survey shows that a majority of Americans now support players kneeling during renditions of the national anthem, a shift of perceptions about what was a polarizing demonstration not too long ago.

The United States Soccer Federation recently eliminated a policy that previously threatened bans for players who didn't stand during the anthem.