Free Agent Eric Reid Criticizes Owners' Reactions To His Activism

Former 49ers safety Eric Reid, one of the most prominent activist voices in the NFL last season, hasn’t been signed by a new team within the first couple days of free agency. Thursday night, Reid tweeted his disagreement with what he called a “ludicrous notion,” which appears to be the idea coming from NFL owners that Reid can be paid less than he’s worth because of his protests.

Reid, a five-year NFL vet, was one of the first players to kneel for the national anthem alongside then-teammate Colin Kaepernick, beginning with the 2016 preseason. He continued to demonstrate during the anthem through most games of 2017 as well. Reid also notably broke with the Players’ Coalition after the NFL promised a donation to social justice causes, calling the league’s move “a charade” with the true goal of ending anthem protests. At the start of free agency he was ranked 56th on Pro Football Talk’s top free agent list.

Back in December, Reid said that he understood the possibility of teams avoiding him for his activism, but seemed ready to accept the cost:

I would say I understand that’s a possibility. And I’m completely fine with it. The things that I’ve done, I stand by, and I’ve done that for my own personal beliefs. Like I said, I’m fine with whatever outcome happens because of that.