A bit of off-field history looked to potentially play a role in an on-field conflict between two key defenders in Sunday’s Eagles-Panthers matchup.
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid had a confrontation with Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins after the coin toss Sunday, with widespread speculation stating that it had something to do with the pair’s disagreement over the NFL’s handling of social justice causes.
#Eagles Malcolm Jenkins and #Panthers Eric Reid had confrontation after the coin toss before the game started.
Reid had major concerns with Malcolm Jenkins' Players Coalition that raised nearly $100 million to causes considered important to African-American communities. pic.twitter.com/qBsfDr4yLi
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 21, 2018
This goes back to last year, when Jenkins headed a “Players Coalition” that worked with the NFL to put together a social justice initiative in response to players kneeling in protest during the national anthem. At the time, Reid was openly critical of Jenkins for speaking on behalf of players who knelt during the anthem despite not being one himself. He also seemed to view that $100 million donation as an effort to get the players to end their demonstrations.
Reid and the Eagles continued to have on-field conflict, too.
Things are getting ugly between the #Eagles and Eric Reid right now.pic.twitter.com/1Q6DqxYS4V
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 21, 2018
It’s certainly plausible that this was the reason behind Reid and Jenkins’s confrontation. It’s a cause that’s very important to Reid, and he wasn’t likely to forget his criticisms of Jenkins.
