After several months of deliberating behind closed doors, the National Football League, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid reportedly reached a settlement in their conclusion case on Friday (Feb. 15).
As previously reported, Kaepernick filed a complaint in 2017 during which he claimed team owners were blackballing him in response to his decision to silently protest during the National Anthem by way of kneeling. Reid, his former teammate on the San Francisco 49ers who knelt in solidarity, also filed his own grievance before going on to sign with the Carolina Panthers in September 2018.
Attorneys for the athletes and the NFL shared a joint statement commenting on the matter: “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.”
While terms of the settlement will remain confidential, both Kaepernick and Reid reposted a copy of the statement from their Twitter accounts.
The NFL Players Association, which is the labor union representing league players, also issued a statement commenting on the matter.
“Today, we were informed by the NFL of the settlement of the Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid collusion cases,” the NFLPA shared. “We are not privy to the details of the settlement, but support the decision by the players and their counsel. We continuously supported Colin and Eric from the start of their protests, participated with their lawyers throughout their legal proceedings and were prepared to participate in the upcoming trial in pursuit of both truth and justice for what we believe the NFL and its clubs did to them. We are glad that Eric has earned a job and a new contract, and we continue to hope that Colin gets his opportunity as well.”
After Kaepernick’s protest against racial injustice and police brutality began in 2016, the movement ended up sparking a national dialogue — one that continues today. The situation drew criticism from many Americans, including Donald Trump, who claimed the act was disrespectful to the flag and to those who have served in the military. In response, the league chose to implement a rule banning the silent protest act. The rule was later revoked.
At the time of this report, Kaepernick remains an unrestricted free agent.