Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown questioned free agent safety Eric Reid during his visit regarding the national anthem protests that have taken place at the start of NFL games during the past two seasons. Eric Reid was one of Colin Kaepernick first teammates to take part in kneeling during the national anthem in a protest against police brutality, and systemic oppression affecting the minority community. Pro Football Talk Mike Florio reports that owner Mike Brown intends to ban kneeling during the national anthem:
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Brown personally met with Reid when Reid visited the Bengals on Monday. Brown, according to the source, initiated discussion regarding the issue of kneeling during the anthem. The conversation almost exclusively centered on the topic, with Brown explaining that he intends to prohibit it — and with Brown at one point asking Reid for his response.
Reid, caught off guard by the line of questioning, wasn’t willing to make a commitment on the spot. Last month, Reid said he’s currently not planning to kneel or otherwise demonstrate during the anthem.
This line of questioning by the owner seems to fall in line with Kaepernick accusation that the NFL is colluding to keep him out of the league due to his national anthem protest and not based on his football talent. Reid has also expressed that teams are not considering him in free agency due to his participation in the protest. Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins who has taken part in the national anthem protest and has also been socially active to the issues affecting the black and minority community agrees that Reid is unsigned in part due to his protests. ESPN reported Jenkins saying:
“Absolutely. It would be hard to say that he’s not getting any calls just on talent alone,” Jenkins told ESPN. “I think any team that is considering him is going to weigh his political views and the strong stance that he’s taken the last couple years, and that’s unfortunate, but it’s just kind of what it is. So hopefully, teams will look past that and evaluate him as a player, and I think as a player he deserves a spot in this league. But I’d be kidding myself if I said that his stance isn’t playing a role in him not having a call yet.”
After meeting with Mike Brown, Reid also took a physical and met with other members of the Bengals staff who went over game film and how he could help the team. Pro Football Talk reported that an offer was not made by the Bengals and head coach Marvin Lewis questioned Reid again about the national anthem protests;
Late in the visit, however, coach Marvin Lewis asked Reid if he wants to clarify anything that Reid told ownership regarding the anthem. Reid said that he had no clarifications or changes to make to what he had said, and the visit ended not long after that without an offer being made to Reid.
As for Reid, signing with the Bengals appears to be a long shot as the team seems to be very concerned about the protests. Reid would arguably be an upgrade over the current safeties the Bengals have. He recorded 67 tackles and 2 interceptions during 2017. Reid would most certainly help the Bengals defense if they choose to sign him. It’s sad that a peaceful protest that only seeks to highlight the struggle of minorities in this country has apparently hindered the chances of Reid to continue his football career. It will be interesting to see if Reid gets a call from another team after details of his visit with the Bengals have emerged.