In the wake of news that the NFL had settled collusion cases brought forth by Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, fellow activist and Eagle Malcolm Jenkins has weighed in.
Despite some disagreements between the men in the past, Jenkins has always maintained that Kaepernick and Reid belonged in the league and thought NFL owners colluded to keep Kaepernick and Reid out of the NFL.
Reid is now employed by the Carolina Panthers, but Kaepernick hasn't played in the NFL since 2016.
How many owners do you need to prove collusion?
A one ☝🏾...a two ✌🏾... a three 🤟🏾... the world may never know ✊🏾 !! pic.twitter.com/iiwzGFFWD8— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) February 15, 2019
You'll remember in October, Jenkins and Reid got into a heated exchange before the Eagles-Panthers game at the Linc. And after the game, Reid called Jenkins a sellout and a coward (see story).
That day, Jenkins refused to get into a war of words.
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"I would never get up here and say anything bad about somebody who I know [their] intentions were about helping their communities, especially another black man," Jenkins said on Oct. 21, after the game. "I'll leave it at that."
The exchange between Jenkins and Reid that day stemmed from lingering animosity about the way the Players Coalition - led by Jenkins - brokered a $90 million deal with the NFL to help with projects dealing with racial inequality.
On Friday afternoon, the NFL released the following statement:
"For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL. As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party."
Because of the confidentiality agreement, we don't know how much this settlement is worth, but it's likely to be very significant. It's also unclear if the NFL admitted any wrongdoing in the settlement.
The grievances began when Kaepernick and Reid claimed they had been blacklisted by the NFL for demonstrating during the national anthem. Kaepernick began those protests by sitting and then later taking a knee.
Jenkins raised his fist during the anthem but stopped once his Players Coalition brokered that deal in 2017. Jenkins raised his fist in the Eagles' preseason opener in 2018, but did not during the 2018 season. Jenkins has said many times he wants the focus to be on work in the community and not the demonstrations.
A tweet earlier on Friday falls in line with that.
Through daily dedicated efforts and public support, we can make our communities safer and more economically sound through reform. That's why @playercoalition is working with @adv_project. When we all come together, effective change is possible. #TheFightContinues https://t.co/i1wOJDtiqG— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) February 15, 2019
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