Kaepernick, Reid settle collusion cases with NFL

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid have resolved their collusion grievances with the NFL and will not continue to pursue their lawsuits.

The settlements were announced in a joint statement, though terms weren't revealed due to a confidentiality agreement:

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 and Reid were at the forefront of protests by some NFL players against racial inequality and police brutality. The protests began in 2016 when they both began kneeling during the national anthem.

Kaepernick hasn't been signed since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers following that season and accused NFL owners of conspiring to keep him out of the league due to his demonstrations.

Reid struggled to generate interest as a free agent in 2018 after his contract with the 49ers expired, and held the same grievance as Kaepernick. He wound up signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 and inked a three-year, $22-million extension with the Panthers on Feb. 11.

The NFL Players Association addressed the settlements in a statement, noting its desire for Kaepernick to receive an opportunity to resume his career in the league:

Today, we were informed by the NFL of the settlement of the Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid collusion cases. We are not privy to the details of the settlement, but support the decision by the players and their counsel. 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. 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.

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.