Reid plans to continue protests during anthem

Panthers safety Eric Reid will continue to protest racial inequality, social injustice and police brutality during the playing of the national anthem before games in the 2019 NFL season.

“If a day comes that I feel like we’ve addressed those issues, and our people aren’t being discriminated against or being killed over traffic violations, then I’ll decide it’s time to stop protesting,” Reid told the Charlotte Observer newspaper Sunday. “I haven’t seen that happen.”

The Panthers signed him Sept. 28 last year to a one-year deal when they were faced with injuries and a lack of depth at the position. Reid knelt in protest before each of the 13 games in which he played and was a dependable contributor on defense, recording 71 tackles, one sack and one interception.

The Panthers re-signed Reid, 27, to a three-year deal in February.

Reid has used his platform to bring awareness to the issues facing minority communities in the United States, issues he feels aren’t improving.

“It feels like we’re going backwards,” Reid said. “You’d like to think we’re past certain things, the way we treat people. I thought we were at a time where you love your neighbor as yourself. But as I’ve studied history – it hasn’t repeated itself necessarily, but it’s dressed a little different and is acting the same.”

Reid is a close friend of Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback who remains unemployed after he sparked a movement of protesting social inequality during the pregame playing of the national anthem. Both Kaepernick and Reid settled their collusion grievance against the NFL and its ownership in February for an undisclosed sum.

“We’ve got to keep fighting,” Reid said. “Got to keep agitating. Got to keep making sure that we put pressure on the people who make the laws, and the decisions, in this country.”