Eric Reid continues to stand in opposition to Jay-Z.
Reid spoke with reporter Ashley Holder after the Carolina Panthers’ preseason game on Friday against the Buffalo Bills. Holder asked Reid a series of questions regarding his stance on Jay-Z’s partnership with the NFL, which was announced on Tuesday. Jay-Z has partnered with the NFL to “nurture and strengthen community through football and music, including through the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative.” The initiative was created in 2019 as part of an effort with the Players Coalition in response to protests over social injustice, which were inspired by Colin Kaepernick.
Jay-Z has received backlash from critics over the deal, including some calling him a “sellout” for working with the NFL. In response to the critics, Jay-Z said, “I think we’ve moved past kneeling. I think it’s time to go into actionable items. So what are we going to do? Reach millions and millions of people, or we got stuck on Colin not having a job?”
Holder asked Reid about Jay-Z’s comments that “we’ve moved past kneeling.” Reid said that was “asinine.”
Eric Reid on Jay Z kneeling statement: “When has Jay Z ever taken a knee? For you get paid to go into a NFL conference and say we are past kneeling is asinine.” pic.twitter.com/BO9RCLUHek
— Ashley Holder (@AshNoelleTV) August 17, 2019
Reid was teammates with Kaepernick on the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 and joined his former teammate in kneeling. He also joined Kaepernick in a lawsuit against the league on grounds of collusion, which ended when the two took a settlement.
Reid was signed by the Panthers last September after spending the offseason unsigned. His position is that nobody should work with the NFL until Kaepernick is back playing quarterback in the league.
When Jay-Z says “we’ve moved past kneeling,” he’s not saying that all the social justice issues about which Kaepernick, Reid and other players were protesting, have ended. What he is saying is that kneeling has accomplished its goal of bringing widespread attention to the matters, and now it’s time to work with the league and communities towards improving things. On Friday, a report also said Jay-Z will become a part owner in the NFL one day.
