Yahoo Finance Eric Reid: CBA negotiation 'would be a cake walk' if players had stood by Colin Kaepernick
The NFL’s proposed collective bargaining agreement continues to be contentious, and while prominent players have been vocal about their frustration, others have detailed their support.
There’s a division among players and Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid says if they had all stood together in the past — namely while Colin Kaepernick remained unsigned — “this CBA negotiation would be a cake walk.”
Reid: Kaepernick issue showed team owners we weren’t united
Reid tweeted Wednesday morning that the negotiation for a player-friendly deal would be easy if the players could stand together as one. He argues that team owners have seen that their employees remain split on issues.
The one he referenced was Colin Kaepernick’s absence from the league after taking a knee in the 2016 season. Reaction to the former quarterback’s move was mixed and Reid stood steadfast in Kaepernick’s corner. It also created division within the Players Coalition as it attempted to get a social justice deal agreed to with the NFL.
That chaos showed team owners the “players won’t stand together on anything,” Reid tweeted.
Imagine if all the players would have stood by @Kaepernick7 after he wasn’t signed and showed the owners that we are together. This CBA negotiation would be a cake walk. As it stands, the owners know players won’t stand together on anything. I hope y’all vote no
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) March 11, 2020
“Imagine if all the players would have stood by [Colin Kaepernick] after he wasn’t signed and showed the owners that we are together,” Reid wrote. “This CBA negotiation would be a cake walk. As it stands, the owners know players won’t stand together on anything. I hope y’all vote no.”
Reid reiterated in a follow-up tweet that it wasn’t about if kneeling was right or wrong, or a player’s fight to take up or not. It was that Kaepernick wasn’t signed to a deal after the issue.
“[If you’re] now wondering why the CBA is an utter disaster, then you really shouldn’t be surprised,” he said of players who didn’t say anything about it.
If you’re a player & fighting 4 ppl who are being oppressed in this country isn’t your fight, then so be it. Don’t kneel. But if you’re a player & you watched @Kaepernick7 get blackballed & are now wondering why the CBA is an utter disaster, then you really shouldn’t be surprised
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) March 11, 2020
Reid has advised players to vote “no” after having his lawyers review the proposal and summarize it for sharing on Twitter. He said it was a “bigger disaster than we could have imagined.”
It came after many had already submitted their votes — a decision that can’t be taken back, the NFL players association said — and there’s certainly concern the CBA could be voted in, leaving players locked into a 10-year deal it turns out they didn’t want.
NFLPA accused of ‘bad faith’ in CBA talks
Carolina Panthers lineman Russell Okung, a member of the NFLPA executive committee, filed a lawsuit against the NFLPA recently alleging the union is engaging in bad-faith negotiations.
He accused the NFLPA and executive director DeMaurice Smith of going against the committee’s wishes to force a vote. It’s clear he believes the players are being pushed to make a bad deal.
Rodgers, Watt, Wilson announce ‘no’ votes
Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt and Russell Wilson all publicly announced no votes the proposed CBA. Maurkice Pouncey called it a “bulls— ass deal.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the most prominent player to come out in support of the deal, saying he was mainly doing so for revenue sharing and growing the revenue.
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