Eric Reid: Kaepernick's workout 'feels like a PR stunt' by NFL

Eric Reid, Carolina Panthers safety and friend of Colin Kaepernick's, suspects the NFL doesn't have genuine intentions when it comes to the arranged workout for the quarterback.

"If it's a real process, I'm excited," Reid told reporters. "The strange thing is that it's on a Saturday, and it remains to be seen who's gonna be able to make that workout being that it's a day before a game."

Kaepernick received notice Monday that the league set up a workout for him in Atlanta and sent invites to all 32 teams. Scouts across the league are expected to attend, though head coaches and general managers likely won't with, as Reid notes, games being played the next day.

The 32-year-old signal-caller hasn't been offered a workout by any team since becoming a free agent in 2016. The Seattle Seahawks are the only club to bring him in for a visit during the last three years.

"At this point, it feels like a PR stunt," Reid said. "Again, being that it's on a Saturday, what decision-makers are gonna be able to attend that workout? The other strange thing is I saw a report that teams were interested in Colin but they reached out to the league about it. That's strange."

When asked if he viewed the showcase as progress for Kaepernick, Reid said, "I'll quote Malcolm X: 'If you stick a knife nine inches in my back and pull it out six, that's not progress, there's still a knife in my back.' So we'll see what happens."

Reid and Kaepernick were teammates on the San Francisco 49ers from 2013 to 2016. They have been two of the most outspoken figures in the NFL when it comes to social issues in the United States.

Reid also said he spoke to Panthers owner David Tepper about the possibility of signing Kaepernick after Carolina placed Cam Newton on injured reserve.

"He communicated to me that (the Panthers) weren't looking to add a veteran quarterback, but if they were they'd be interested," Reid said.

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