Carolina Panthers: Eric Reid settles collusion case against NFL
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid settles collusion case against the NFL.
Out of football after becoming a free agent, Eric Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers prior to their Week 5 game against the New York Giants last season. Injuries led to a need at the safety position and new owner David Tepper along with general manager Marty Hurney and coach Ron Rivera knew Reid was their guy.
Despite his continued protest of social injustice and support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Reid was signed to a one-year contract in what the team referred to as a “football decision”.
Once signed, Reid continued to kneel on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem and maintained his collusion case against the league. After not being signed by any team as a free agent during the offseason, despite being a former first-round selection and five-year veteran, Reid joined Kaepernick with a lawsuit against the NFL stating the league colluded to keep them from playing.
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Tepper, being new, was the only team owner not considered a part of the grievance and his willingness to sign Reid displayed a commitment to on the field performance versus outside distractions.
During the season Reid added an abundance of drug tests to his case, believing the multiple times he was selected for a post-game sample exceeded normal expectations. Ultimately, an independent investigation determined there was no merit to those accusations.
After almost a year of proceedings for Reid and more for Kaepernick, the NFL and both parties have agreed to settle their respective cases. While the terms of both agreements remain undisclosed, the deal ends each measure and may open a door for Kaepernick to return if a team so desires.
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Reid recently signed a multi-year deal with the Panthers to solidify at least one of their safety positions on defense for the foreseeable future.