The Houston Texans have gotten off to a dismal start this season. After winning their first two games against San Diego and Tennessee, Houston has dropped five straight and are already three games back of division-leaders Indianapolis.

During the Texans’ home loss to the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 13, their quarterback of seven years, Matt Schaub, hit the ground awkwardly after being sacked by Rams defensive end Chris Long. Schaub would lie on the field in an immense amount of pain for a short period of time from an injured ankle, with just under four minutes left in the third quarter.

At the time, the Texans were losing 31-6 to the Rams and Schaub was in the midst of the worst funk of his career, throwing interceptions returned for touchdowns in an NFL-record four consecutive games. So when Schaub went down and was helped by team doctors to the sideline, some cheering broke out in Houston’s Reliant Stadium. Backup quarterback T.J. Yates was finally coming into the game, providing relief for fans disgruntled with Schaub’s recent performances.

Fans obviously have the right to voice their opinions whenever they please, but is it morally right if they do?

Kids are taught at a young age that when a player is injured on the field, you quiet down, and take a knee to show your respect. Adults do not need to take a knee, but it is certainly common practice to stay quiet while the player is being attended to, and then clap for them when they get up. However, a lot of people at the Texans game did not do that.

This happens all the time in the NFL; people cheer for the brutality of the sport. Combine that with all the alcohol consumed before and during the game, and it is easy to see how a mob of people could erupt at any time. Cheering because a player is on the ground in pain is simply distasteful and ignorant on the part of the few who did it.

Countless players across the NFL voiced their disgust with Texans fans after the incident, including many Houston players who stood by their embattled quarterback.

“When a man goes down and he’s not able to get up, you don’t know what is wrong with him at that point,” Texans left tackle Duane Brown said. “That could be the last play of his career and for you to applaud that, I have no words for that.”

Just one week earlier, Schaub had to call team security after a fan reportedly drove up to his driveway in the middle of the night and started yelling obscenities from his car.

This kind of harassment, along with cheering because a man is on the ground in pain, is simply distasteful and ignorant and has no place in the game of football.