More than a year after accusing the NFL of blackballing him by filing a grievance against team owners, Colin Kaepernick has brought a sudden end to his legal fight with the league, as attorney Mark Geragos and the NFL jointly announced Friday. Eric Reid, who recently signed a three-year contract extension with the Panthers, has also resolved his grievance against the league.
The statement:
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.
Representing the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Geragos said in October 2017 that Kaepernick filed the grievance "to simply be treated fairly by the league" after Kaepernick failed to find a job following on-field protests dating back to 2016. Even after an $89 million donation by the NFL to other protesting players' causes in November 2017, the 31-year-old free agent repeatedly pledged to maintain his fight for justice, alleging that the NFL's 32 owners colluded to keep him out of football because of political pressure.
Just weeks after the conclusion of the 2019 season, Kaepernick's second straight without an NFL job, that fight has reached a quiet end after several months worth of discussions with league counsel.
The NFL Players Association has endorsed the resolution in a separate release, saying it supports "the decision by the players and their counsel."
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) February 15, 2019
The former Niners starter, who led San Francisco to Super Bowl XLVII, began kneeling during the national anthem before games in 2016 to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice in America. Hundreds of other players protested in similar fashion following 2017 comments by President Donald Trump about anyone who doesn't stand for the anthem.