Eric Reid praised by Colin Kaepernick after taking a knee on NFL return
Safety Eric Reid has taken a knee during the national anthem in his first game with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, continuing his stand against social injustice.
Reid was near midfield and knelt on his right knee as the anthem began. No other Panthers joined his protest.
Reid took a knee the past two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers when he was a teammate of Colin Kaepernick's and then encountered problems finding a team to sign him this past offseason.
The Panthers recently signed him after an injury to Da'Norris Searcy and Reid didn't publicly reveal whether or not he would continue his protests. Reid and Panthers coach Ron Rivera discussed the situation upon the team signing Reid.
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Speaking to reporters following the Panthers' narrow 33-31 win over the New York Giants, Reid revealed that he let Rivera know he was going to protest and touched on the support from his Panthers teammates.
"I talked to some of the guys before the game and they let me know they were there for me if I need to talk about anything," Reid told reporters.
"They let me know that they feel for me."
Despite sealing his return to the NFL with a victory, Reid was less than impressed about the plight of his former teammate Kaepernick.
"It's bittersweet. We won the game, but Colin is at home with my kids," he said.
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"He should be playing."
Following the game, Rivera refused to comment on Reid's protest, preferring to talk about the football.
Reid joined Colin Kaepernick's anthem protests in 2016 when both players were members of the San Francisco 49ers, and Kaepernick took to his personal Instagram account to show his support for his former teammate.
Kaepernick has been the most vocal protester within the NFL against social injustice and police brutality in the United States and has an ongoing collusion suit against the NFL.
Reid's courageous decision to protest in the first game on his return to the NFL was widely praised by the NFL community on social media.
