Hopkins calls Texans owner McNair 'a great guy'

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is still standing by the team's owner, Bob McNair, despite the 80-year-old's controversial comments last season.

"Bob is a great guy," Hopkins told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "I could never say anything bad about him."

McNair made headlines last season when he compared players protesting social injustice during the national anthem to "inmates running the prison." McNair later expressed remorse over his choice of words, but he recently said he regrets apologizing.

Related: McNair reportedly among owners deposed in Kaepernick collusion case

He also defended outgoing Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who's in the process of selling the team after reports emerged of him sexually harassing female employees and racially discriminating against others.

Hopkins briefly left the Texans after McNair's "inmates" comment, but the star wide receiver said it had nothing to do with the controversy.

"I had personal problems that I needed to take care of," he said.