The Carolina Panthers announced on Thursday that they have signed veteran safety Eric Reid, which came as a surprise to many considering Reid — like Colin Kaepernick — is suing the NFL for collusion. While he will soon be playing football again, his collusion case apparently remains on course.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Reid did not reach any type of settlement with the Panthers related to his grievance.
Per source, the Panthers signing of Eric Reid does not impact his collusion grievance. There was no settlement as part of his deal with Carolina.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 27, 2018
Kaepernick and Reid have both claimed that NFL owners colluded against them due to their roles as leaders in the national anthem protest movement. Kaepernick scored a big victory in his case last month when an arbitrator declined to dismiss his complaint, sending it to trial.
Shortly after announcing that they signed Reid, the Panthers shared a photo of the 26-year-old holding his fist in the air. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that conversations between the two sides were kept strictly to football despite what clearly seemed to be a show of support for Reid’s beliefs.
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 27, 2018
The Panthers had a need for a safety after placing starter Da’Norris Searcy on injured reserve, and Reid was the best player available. Even one of the most well-known legends to ever play in the NFL said he feels both Reid and Kaepernick are good enough to be playing in the league.
