New Panther Eric Reid Kneels Before First Game Back in NFL

Safety says he knelt because the country had made "no progress" on social justice issues.

Carolina Panthers players try to block the view of Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid (25) taking a knee during the National Anthem in his first game with the team prior to the NFL game between the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers on October 07, 2018 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte,NC. (Photo by Dannie Walls/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Carolina Panthers players try to block the view of Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid (25) taking a knee during the National Anthem in his first game with the team prior to the NFL game between the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers on October 07, 2018 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte,NC. (Photo by Dannie Walls/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In his return to the NFL, Eric Reid picked up right where he left off by kneeling during the national anthem.

Reid, who was the first player to take a knee during the “Star-Spangled Banner” alongside Colin Kaepernick during their time together in San Francisco, returned to the controversial practice before his first game playing for the Carolina Panthers Sunday.

Afterward, Reid said he knelt because the country has “made no progress” on social justice issues

“We’ve made baby steps, but people try to give crumbs and present them as cakes,” Reid said, according to the Charlotte Observer. “So you can come at me with all the hate you want, but it doesn’t change the fact of the truth. I’ve always been considering what’s best for the movement. I’ve always told myself when the time comes to stop kneeling that I’ll stop – that time has not come.”

Like Kaepernick, Reid has an ongoing collusion case against the NFL which alleges owners banded together to keep him out of the league because of his politics and demonstrations.

Even though Reid and other players such as Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson have been protesting before the anthem this year, less attention has been paid to those displays.

Win the Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Experience

Want the F1 experience of a lifetime? Here’s your chance to win tickets to see Turn 18 Grandstand, one of Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix’s most premier grandstands!