Notorious NFL anthem protester reveals new plans for 2018... just one problem
When Colin Kaepernick first started his national anthem protests in 2016, San Francisco teammate Eric Reid was right there beside him.
Why Colin and I intentionally decided to kneel as a sign of respecthttps://t.co/NfangCnW0e
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) September 25, 2017
When Kaepernick opted out of his 49ers contract in 2017, Reid picked up the torch and carried on the anthem protests in San Francisco.
Then, when Kaepernick was a free agent in search of a new team, he got the word out that he would end his national anthem protests.
Now Reid, who is an unsigned free agent himself, is again following Kaepernick’s lead.
On Thursday, the veteran safety announced he no longer will protest during the national anthem.
“From the beginning, Colin has been flexible,” Reid said Thursday, according to ESPN. “He started by sitting — he changed it up. We decided to kneel. And we understand that you’ve got to change with the times.
“I’m not going to say that I’m going to stop being active, because I won’t. I’m just going to consider different ways to be active, different ways to bring awareness to the issues of this country — to improve the issues happening in this country.”
As Kaepernick showed last year, however, it’s hard to protest — or not protest — during the national anthem if you’re not on an NFL team.
Reid is hoping his declaration that he’ll stand for the anthem will bring better results than Kaepernick’s. While a few teams reportedly considered signing the former Super Bowl quarterback in 2017, Kaepernick never found a new home.
In October, he filed a collusion grievance against the league claiming its owners were blackballing him; that legal battle is ongoing.
Unlike Kaepernick, whose performance on the field declined before he hit free agency, Reid is seen as an above-average starter.
The 26-year-old safety indicated he has had nibbles from interested teams but no bites yet.
“I know my agent is in communication with a couple teams,” Reid said. “No numbers have been talked about. No visits have been talked about. Just see what happens.”
In recent days, fellow defensive backs Devin McCourty of the Patriots and Richard Sherman of the 49ers both said Reid wasn’t being signed because of his protests.
Sherman went so far as to suggest “legal action” might be needed.
Reid apparently has decided to take a different approach.
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