- Safety had been without a team since end of last season
- Carolina Panthers say signing is because ‘he’s a good player’
Eric Reid, the first NFL player to join Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial injustice in the United States, has signed with the Carolina Panthers. In May, Reid filed a collusion grievance against the NFL alleging he has been kept out of the league due to his political stance.
Reid’s deal with the San Francisco 49ers expired in March, and on playing ability alone he would have been expected to have found a new team quickly: in 2013 he was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie after being drafted in the first round and has had a solid career since. Reid believed that, like Kaepernick, he was unemployed due to his political views. “The notion that I can be a great signing for your team for cheap, not because of my skill set but because I’ve protested systemic oppression, is ludicrous. If you think [it] is, then your mindset is part of the problem too,” Reid wrote on Twitter earlier this year.
Related: Nike just thrust Kaepernick back in the spotlight – where he belongs | Khaled A Beydoun
Congrats 2 my brother @e_reid35, all pro safety who should have been signed the 1st day of free agency, who has signed a football contract.
He was the 1ST person 2 kneel alongside me. Eric is a social justice warrior, continues to support his family. and communities in need. pic.twitter.com/TsZOaFycYT
from NFL | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2OePVjR
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