HOYER, DEFENSE RIGHT ON TARGET
Quarterback strikes quickly with two TD passes, young ‘D’ brings heat
Reid resumes his protest, takes a knee for anthem prior to contest
MINNEAPOLIS >> Safety Eric Reid, who took a knee with Colin Kaepernick during last season’s national anthem protests, resumed that position before the 49ers exhibition Sunday night against the host Vikings.
Reid nor any other 49ers knelt during the previous two exhibitions.
Although Kaepernick is no longer on the 49ers, Reid maintains frequent contact with him, and he shared a conversation the two had earlier this month in which their concerns about social equality were intensified after incidents in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Reid knelt in the middle of the 49ers sideline while the rest of his teammates stood during Sunday’s anthem. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin stood and placed his hand on Reid’s right shoulder. Earlier, Jeremy Kerley stood with his arm around Goodwin.
“It’s becoming more apparent for people to see the issues that we’re talking about, especially in the way it happened in Charlottesville,” Reid said Aug. 15. “We’re just hopeful that if we keep talking
about it, we don’t let it go away because a lot of people just want things to blow over like, ‘Oh, that’s an isolated incident.’ But it happens every day.
“If we keep talking about it, hopefully we can make this change. It needs to stop being ‘hopefully.’ It needs to happen. It needs to happen now.”
Reid, a fifth-year veteran, started at strong safety on Sunday night and combined on a sack with Arik Armstead on the second defensive series, although Armstead officially got credited with a full sack.
Reid followed up a fierce, third-down tackle by kissing his right biceps -- a practice known as “Kaepernicking” when the former 49ers quarterback used to celebrate touchdown runs.
Reid said after the game he plans on continuing his protest throughout the season, and that he believes he has 49ers ownership’s support based on last season.
“I feel I needed to regain control of that narrative and not let people say that what we’re doing is un-American, because it’s not. It’s completely American,” Reid said. “We’re doing it because we want equality for everybody. We want our country to be a better place. So that’s why I decided to resume the protest.”
Both 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this month that no players had approached them about possibly protesting, and both said they understood the intentions of such protests. Lynch caught flack for initially saying that protests are “divisive,” and he came out later saying he regretted using that word and emphasizing he respects and understands protestors’ motives.
Players on other NFL teams have protested this exhibition season, including the Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch and Seattle Seahawks Michael Bennett.