New Season of Hard Knocks Clouded With Controversies

The Houston Texans have been selected to be featured on HBO’s NFL series Hard Knocks. The first episode will air tonight at 9pm Central, and its shaping up to be the best season in the shows history. So much has happened for the Texans in the past two weeks, including events off the football field.

To start off, theres Arian Foster. In an ESPN report, Foster said he didnt believe in God. Raised Muslim, Foster began to see things for himself saying, “You don’t want to ruin endorsements…People might say, ‘I don’t want an atheist representing my team.’ Now, though, I’m established in this league, and as I’m digging deeper into myself and my truth, just being me is more important than being sexy to Pepsi or whoever. After a while, what’s an extra dollar compared to the freedom of being you?” While its a choice not to believe in religion, some see it as a bad image. Saying you dont believe in God, especially in sport where God is “first and foremost” in a players mind, is a touchy subject for most people especially those in the spotlight. Foster unfortunately went down with an injury during filming, but its going to be interesting to see how Hard Knocks will portray Fosters comments as the series progresses.

Jadeveon Clowney can never catch a break. Coming off a season ending injury, Clowney seemed focused on returning in mid August with promises of a bright career that never took off. While most focus was on Clowney’s recovery and return to the field, news broke that his father was charged for attempted murder. David Morgan, was charged for shooting at an employee in South Carolina strip club and is now in jail without parole. Hard Knocks is covering all of Texans training camp, and Clowney is set to return on August 17th. Clowney hasn’t commented on what happened with his father, but something has to give once he returns on the field.

Lastly, the Texans traveled to Washington for three days for a joint practice. ESPN reported that the practices have been a physical affair since day one. On the final day of the practice, things got out of hand. With a day full of unnecessary hits, tension spilled over as Texans center Ben Jones threw a punch at Redskins defensive lineman Chris Baker. Baker stated, “the offensive lineman came out and tried to clean me out of the pocket so I asked him what was up. We got into an argument, I took my helmet off and he hooked me with a right hook and we got to fighting.” Since the brawl happened during practice, this event is promised to be on the first episode of Hard Knocks!

Hard Knocks is an exciting time for fans. While the show does not include a win or loss column, it signifies the start of the NFL season. For football fans, its been a long 6 months and the show sets the tone for the season.

Tonight’s episode will not only showcase the brawl that took place last week, but will also feature newly acquired nose tackle Vincent Wilfork’s transition in Houston.

Check out the trailer for tonight’s episode below: