NFL Sued for $100M Over Efforts to ‘Silence’ Brother of Texans Owner

The brother of the Texans principal owner seeks more than $100 million in a lawsuit filed against the NFL in New York state court that alleges the league conspired to remove him from executive roles to stop him from speaking out about scandals involving the team.

The suit from Robert Cary McNair Jr., filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, seeks more than $60 million in damages, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and other costs, as well as “further relief” deemed just by the court. In total, the suit wants more than $100 million, according to a press release from the attorney representing McNair Jr., Tony Buzbee.

The NFL committed tortious interference and other offenses through a “deliberate effort to silence and oust” McNair Jr. from two longstanding roles: his position on the trust board that owns the Texans, and his position as CEO of the family’s investment business, McNair Interests.

Specifics were not included in the summons filed with the court or the press release, but earlier this month, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk obtained a letter sent by Buzbee to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. That letter reportedly said McNair Jr. was targeted because he “spoke out about the Deshaun Watson scandal and questioned the Texans’ handling of it,” including the team paying to settle dozens of cases lodged against the quarterback. 

The summons, filed Sept. 25, says that when McNair Jr. “began asking pointed questions about NFL player scandals that potentially implicated the NFL, its personnel, and its decision-making process, the NFL worked to silence him,” including by restructuring the family business and family trust in order to install the “more pliable Cal McNair” as principal owner. Further, McNair Jr. was “stripped of his roles and employment with the McNair family enterprises,” the summons says. 

“In short, through the calculated interference of the NFL, Plaintiff was cut out of any meaningful role with McNair-associated entities so that, among other things, Plaintiff could exercise no influence over NFL-related matters,” the summons says.

A representative for Buzbee’s firm tells Front Office Sports the “full filing,” featuring more details, will be available on the docket this week.

McNair Jr.’s brother, Cal McNair, was approved as principal owner of the franchise last year, taking over from his mother, Janice McNair, who is 88. 

This suit does not represent the first family drama among the family behind the Texans since the 2018 death of former principal owner Bob McNair. Last January, before Cal McNair had been appointed principal owner, McNair Jr. submitted an application for permanent guardianship for his mother and her estate, asking the Harris County Probate Court to declare her incapacitated. He was unsuccessful in that effort. 

McNair Jr.’s attorney, Buzbee, is no stranger to high-profile legal fights. He represented a woman who recently settled her lawsuit that accused Pro Football Hall of Famer turned sports media star Shannon Sharpe of rape. He also represented many of the women who accused Watson of sexual assault. Last year, Buzbee represented an anonymous plaintiff who accused Jay-Z and Diddy of sexual assault. Jay-Z’s legal team claimed Buzbee was leading a “campaign of extortion” in that suit, which was voluntarily dismissed in February of this year, according to court records. 

The NFL and the Texans did not immediately respond to requests for comment.