Houston Texans' owner has apologised for describing NFL players' protests against perceived racial injustice as like "inmates running the prison".
Bob McNair made the comments during a meeting in New York last Friday between owners, team executives and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss the issue.
Protests have spread throughout the league since Colin Kaepernick sat, and later knelt, during the playing of the US national anthem before a game in 2016.
In a statement, McNair said: "I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players.
"I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. I would never characterise our players or our league that way and I apologise to anyone who was offended by it."
After the meeting, Goodell said he would encourage the players to stand for the anthem, but the league would not punish them if they refused to do so.
Kaepernick has been without a team since leaving the San Francisco 49ers in March, and filed a grievance against team owners for allegedly conspiring not to hire him because of his protests.