Eric Reid was finally given the chance to play Football again. Reid a former 1^st round pick is a safety and is only 26 years old. He has the talent to start on almost all the teams in the NFL. However, the NFL blacked balled him and Colin Kaepernick from there league because they started protesting during the national anthem. Reid and Kaepernick were protesting racial inequality and police brutality.

The Carolina Panthers on Thursday finally stepped up and signed Reid to a 1-year contract. This opportunity for Eric Reid to Play in the NFL took way to long because he never did anything wrong. Reid stood up and fought for what he believed in. Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick should be respected and appreciated for what they did because they risked their careers to fight for the voiceless.

The NFL for far to long made President Trump affect their decision-making process on whether Colin or Eric deserved to be playing football. That should never have been a question because both players produced when they were on the field.

The constant bullying of NFL players by the President made the NFL owners look weak because they didn’t have their players back. The NFL left the players fending for themselves. In comparison the NBA fought back when Trump criticized Lebron James. The NBA defended their players and the NFL dropped the ball in defending their own players who helped to generate billions of dollars for their league.

The President questioning NFL player’s patriotism was a slap in the face to the players. NFL players who were protesting or who supported the protest are Patriotic because they are protesting respectfully and given back to their communities that need help. Patriotism is showing love and support for your country. The NFL players were showing love for their country by protesting, but they also were showing everyone that as a nation we need to be better. That is a true patriot to me.

The NFL have always let other players that have more serious issues off the field back into their league. They let Greg Hardy back into their league after he was charged with Domestic Violence. A whole list of other players who were charged or accused of Domestic Violence can be found throughout the internet. Their suspensions have been lenient until recently when they came up with a Domestic Violence policy.

Blackballing Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick from their league was a low point in the history of the NFL. These two men were fighting for social change. They were protesting the killing of unarmed black men. They were protesting racial inequality. Eric and Colin are going to always be remembered for their courageousness and determination for fighting for all minorities. They could have stayed silent about these issues, but they recognized the bigger picture and stood up for what they believe in.

Colin Kaepernick created his Know Your Rights Campaign to help give back valuable lessons. His foundation wants to help empower the youth and teach them how to interact with law enforcement. Colin Kaepernick have donated 1 million dollars of his own money to charities that support under privileged communities. He and Eric Reid continue to do remarkable work.

Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick have been fighting for justice for all minorities. They are true definitions of Patriots. The NFL owners missed an opportunity to embrace their players’ patriotism and show that it is bigger than Football. They should look at the example that the NBA has put forward on how to support their players incredible efforts to better their communities. These issues are bigger than the brand of Football. Just like the Nike ad said, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”

The Panthers organization deserve credit for finally signing Eric Reid because he deserved it. Colin Kaepernick deserves that same opportunity to lace up his cleats and play Football again. The other NFL owners should stop looking at their bottom line and do what is right. I stand with Eric and Colin because they are true American ‘heroes’ who sacrificed their lively hoods for the betterment of society.