Eric Reid's been signed to the Carolina Panthers, and at his first press conference with the team, everyone wanted to know whether he'd continue to #TakeAKnee and if he planned to drop his collusion case against the NFL.
At the conference, Reid wore a black #ImWithKap shirt, a clear nod to former teammate Colin Kaepernick.
The new Panther said he was "without a doubt" that his collusion case against the NFL would continue, reports ESPN. The safety filed the case in May, accusing team owners of being influenced by Donald Trump and conspiring to keep him unemployed.
As far as taking a knee is concerned, the 26-year-old said he is reevaluating his activism for this season, according to The Washington Post.
“We understand you have to change with the times,” Reid said. “I’m not saying 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 and improve on the issues happening in this country. I don’t think it will be in the form of protesting during the anthem. I say during because it’s crazy that the narrative changed to we were protesting the anthem and that wasn’t the case. I think we’re going to take a different approach to how we’re going to be active.”
CBS Sports reports the Panthers did not ask Reid about the collusion case or his plans to protest during contract negotiations. Team general manager Marty Hurney said Reid’s signing was “purely a football decision.”
Head coach Ron Rivera added he believes Reid is a great addition to the team. The coach said he and Reid had a productive conversation about the kneeling, and that while he personally believes players should stand for the anthem, he doesn't think teams have the right to force players to do so.
"We feel good about who he is as a young man and who we are as an organization," Rivera said. "Probably the biggest question he asked me really was, 'What would you say your base fronts of coverage are?' He just seemed ready to roll.''
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Eric Reid Holds Up Black Power Fist As He Finally Gets Signed To NFL Team
