An agreement has been reached between the NFL and attorneys for players Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, settling their claims of collusion on complaints the league's team owners had blackballed them over kneeling during the National Anthem.
The terms of the settlement are being kept confidential, CNBC reports, but before the agreement was announced Friday, the Kaepernick/Reid complaint had been heading to a full hearing before an arbitrator later this month.
Kaepernick has not played after becoming a free agent after the 2016 season as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers. Reid, a former safety for the 49ers, was signed by the Carolina Panthers after filing his own complaint against the NFL. He kneeled during the 2018 season as well.
Kaepernick was the first of several players to kneel to protest police shootings of black people, and Reid followed as the second player to kneel. The protests quickly drew ire from fans and from President Donald Trump, who said they were being disrespectful to the flag.
The NFL Players Association said in a statement that it was not privy to details of the settlement, but that it has supported Kaepernick and Reid "continuously" from the start of their protests and had participated with their attorneys.
"(We) were prepared to participate in the upcoming trial in pursuit of both truth and justice for what we believe the NFL and its clubs did to them," the NFLPA said. "We are glad that Eric has earned a job and a new contract, and we continue to hope that Colin gets his opportunity as well."
In a three-sentence statement released Friday, the NFL said:
"For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL. As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party."
Kaepernick's lawyer tweeted an identical statement.
No details were made available.
A wave of protests by NFL players began in 2016 after Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem to call attention to police brutality and racial inequality. The protests grew into one of the most polarizing issues in sports, with President Donald Trump loudly urging the league to suspend or fire players who demonstrate during "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Kaepernick filed his grievance in August 2017. Arbitrator Stephen B. Burbank sent it to trial, denying the league's request to throw out the former 49ers quarterback's claims. Burbank's decision meant there was enough evidence of collusion to keep the grievances going.
While he has been away from the playing field, Kaepernick has become an advocate for battling social and racial injustice. On Thursday, a person with knowledge of the conversations told the AP that Kaepernick turned down a chance to join the fledgling Alliance of American Football , seeking $20 million or more from the upstart league that pays its players $225,000 over three seasons.
Officials with the players union said Friday afternoon that they had just learned of the settlement and had no details.
"We continuously supported Colin and Eric from the start of their protests, participated with their lawyers throughout their legal proceedings and were prepared to participate in the upcoming trial in pursuit of both truth and justice for what we believe the NFL and its clubs did to them," the NFLPA said in statement. "We are glad that Eric has earned a job and a new contract, we continue to hope that Colin gets his opportunity as well."
The Associated Press contritubed to this report.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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