(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)
NFL Player Eric Reid
Former 49ers’ player Eric Reid is roaming around a free agent in the NFL and people are claiming it’s because of his stance during the national anthem protests.
The former first-round draft pick joined forces with Colin Kaepernick in their peaceful pre-game demonstrations around police brutality and racial inequality last year on the field, but now Reid may be paying the price.
The 26-year-old football player tweeted last week, “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.”
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 is, then your mindset is part of the problem too.
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) March 15, 2018
He stated that he’s not only being blackballed by general managers, but by team owners also.
“GMs aren’t the holdup broski. It’s ownership. People who know football know who can play. People who know me, know my character,” he wrote.
Although Reid and Eagles’ player Malcolm Jenkins didn’t see eye-to-eye last season regarding Jenkins co-founded Players Coalition organization, the Philadelphia Eagles’ safety quickly came to the free agent’s defense.
“It would be hard to say that he’s not getting any calls just on talent alone… I think any team that is considering him is going to weigh his political views and the strong stance that he’s taken the last couple years, and that’s unfortunate, but it’s just kind of what it is. So hopefully, teams will look past that and evaluate him as a player, and I think as a player he deserves a spot in this league. But I’d be kidding myself if I said that his stance isn’t playing a role in him not having a call yet,” Jenkins told ESPN.
Reid also told the sports network, he does not plan to kneel or protest in 2018.
