These are great questions that, a lot times, don't have the easiest of answers. First off, when you have people that don't want to respect other points of view you have conflict- many times resulting in physical confrontations because some people think it is easier to silence the opposition than try to work out a compromise...but the important thing is really to just listen to what people are saying.
But unfortunately, whenever you have any group of people- white, black, or brown- that thinks they are better than another group of people, or want to use force to achieve an advantage over another group, this isn't who those people really are, but what they have been taught...and it's their ego fighting for self preservation of those ideals.
A lot of times, in trying to self preserve, people attack others or put them down because the thinking, subconsciously, is that the less "they" have then the more I will have- which would increase the odds of survival or success imo...but this thinking just perpetuates a cycle of mistrust on all sides- and instead of working together to build up humanity, everybody is constantly fighting, limiting progress due to the lack of trust.
These issues we are seeing in the NFL are a microcosm of that deeper issue playing out...now, on the surface, players protesting what the Texans owner said may seem petty to some, but it all goes back to the lack of trust and respect- with the players feeling they are being marginalized and disrespected (whether right or wrongly). What's interesting about this situation is that I believe several white players took issue with what the Texans owner said as well.
Now, an owner of a company can make whatever rules they want...but it is also important to remember that the employer/employee relationship is a compromise...if an owner has rules that nobody wants to work under, then he or she will soon be out of business...and vice versa with the players. But both need to learn to work together for the benefit of both sides and it starts with listening and understanding.
So, I apologize for the length of this post or if i didn't really get to the gist of your question...it is a very complex issue and I can tend to get off on a tangent at times...I hope at least some was useful.