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Liz Clarke
Reporter covering the Washington Redskins
CHARLOTTE – While he was waiting for bids never arrived in the days, weeks and months that followed the opening of the signing period of autonomous players last March, Eric Reid has considered the possibility of not never again play professional football – an unexpressed retribution, perhaps, for being the first An NFL player will join Colin Kaepernick to kneel at the national anthem to protest social and racial injustices.
On Monday, Reid was back on an NFL training ground for the first time in nine months, after signing a one-year contract last week with the Carolina Panthers, who were desperately in need of ###################################################################### 39, a defensive veteran with his skills and experience.
Meeting with reporters afterward, Reid made it clear where he stood before uttering a word, taking the podium for a press conference in a black t-shirt that said "#IMWITHKAP."
According to Reid, the Panthers had never asked in the negotiations that preceded his signing during the team's week off, whether he intended to continue kneeling at the anthem ceremonies Match. On Monday, he declined to say what his plans were for Sunday's game against the New York Giants, if he was ready to adapt after a week of training, as coach Rob Rivera wanted.
"I said that I would consider other ways [to advocate for justice]Said Reid, repeating a sentiment he had expressed in March, stating to the press that he did not think his plea during the 2018 NFL season included demonstrations during the anthem.
[Eric Reid, who joined Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during national anthem, signed by Panthers]
But Reid was unequivocal about his plan to pursue his formal complaint against the NFL, alleging collusion.
"No doubt, yes," he said.
In many ways, it appears that the Panthers' decision to hire Reid would undermine the claim that the NFL and its owners would have agreed to deny him a job because of his public stance.
But this is not the case, according to Gabe Feldman, a law professor and director of Tulane's sport law program.
"I would say that optics is better for the league, but legally speaking, it will have no impact on the grievance for several reasons," Feldman said during a phone interview Monday. "Essentially, the fact that the Carolina Panthers decided to sign Eric Reid does not prove that other teams have not been conniving to not sign it in recent months."
It's enough that two NFL teams – or the NFL office and an NFL team – constitute a conspiracy. Reid could also always claim that his earning potential was reduced.
Reid cited his grievance – distinct from the similar one Kaepernick filed against the league – several times at the beginning of the press conference, explaining that he could not go into the details of the contract talks because it was part of his folder.
But he was expansive and powerful, when asked how he was considering losing his job in the NFL, as a 26-year-old husband and father of two, and his commitment to activism. social.
"I'll say it this way: next year will be 2019," Reid said. "It will mark 400 years since the first slaves hit the ground in this country. It's 400 years of systemic oppression – slavery, Jim Crow, the new Jim Crow, mass incarceration, you name it. The Great Depression, they come out with the New Deal, the blacks do not have access to government stimulus plans. The New Deal has set up what is called the middle class of modern times. We did not have access to these programs – the G.I. Bill, Social Security, Home Loan, none of that.
"It has happened since my people arrived here. And so I just felt the need to say something about it. "
[Eric Reid was first to follow Colin Kaepernick. He’s still trying to change the world.]
In the locker room after Monday's practice, Carolina players were enthusiastic about Reid signing the team's decision after placing security player Da'Norris Searcy in the injured reserve following a second concussion in five weeks.
Reid's NFL credentials are well-known: he was a first round pick (18th overall) among LSUs in 2013, won the Pro Bowl honors as a rookie and has always made the difference in the defensive field at during his first five seasons. in the league. He scored 67 tackles, two interceptions and four assists for San Francisco last season.
"We are a team with open arms," said quarterback captain Munnerlyn, amazed Monday by Reid's size (6-foot-1, 213-pound), his talent for football and fitness, particularly since the last match played on Friday. 31.
"We watch him as a player who can help us. We are not afraid that everyone is talking about "Oh man, what will he do when the national anthem [is played]; what's he going to do? We are not worried about it. We are worried about winning football games, and this guy can certainly help us win games. "
In private, some admitted that the signing would probably not have taken place under the orders of the Panthers' founding owner, Jerry Richardson, who was forced to sell the team last May following an investigation into misbehavior in the workplace.
Rivera refused to tackle the subject saying, "It's a football decision. I will not enter this part. "
[David Tepper is nothing like an NFL owner]
While many of the 32 NFL owners favor a zero tolerance policy for marginal social activism claims, Panthers' new owner David Tepper, who bought the team for $ 2.275 billion, strongly defended the players in a recent interview with CNBC. Tepper said the efforts to make anti-patriotic activism "the biggest pile of nonsense" and that NFL players said, "It's among the most patriotic and best people. They are excellent young men, so it makes me annoyed and angry. It's just wrong, totally wrong.
Reid did not say much about the process that led him to the Panthers but confirmed that he had only one other offer (from his former team, the 49ers) and that he chose Carolina because it was a better one. case. Thanks to this, he finds a platform – both for his defensive skills and for his social advocacy.
"As we said when we started, Colin and I, nothing will change unless we talk about it," Reid said. "So we will continue to talk about it, we will continue to keep America up to what it says on paper – that we are all equal. Because it's not like that right now. But we will continue to push towards that. "
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