Well folks, we’ve reached the end of 2018 NFL regular season. While this season certainly had its fair share of plot twists — from the no-shows, the injuries and other highlights (hello Baker and the Browns) — my bet is that the recent chapter in the Malcolm Jenkins vs Eric Reid saga has flown under your radar. If there is one new year’s resolution I’d like to see in the NFL this year (other than my Ravens winning another ring), I’d wish for Reid and Jenkins to shake hands and make peace.
At first glance, this Week 7 pre-game scuffle looks like your typical trash talking between two formidable athletes. But those familiar with their history know that the relationship between these two men is bigger than football and far more nuanced (The Undefeated provides a very thorough backstory here which is worth the read). On one side, you have Eric Reid — former San Francisco 49ers safety and ex-teammate of Colin Kaepernick. You may remember Reid began kneeling alongside Kaepernick during the 2016 season in an effort to bring attention to social injustice issues. On the other side, you have Malcolm Jenkins — Philadelphia Eagles safety and co-founder of the Players Coalition, an independent 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 by NFL players that seeks to “end social injustices and racial inequality so future generations have opportunity to thrive without barriers.”
Though Jenkins and Reid share a lot of similarities (black men, professional athletes, commitment to giving back to the community, etc.), their very real beef stems from a general disagreement on exactly how the NFL should support player-led social justice initiatives and where the players should focus their efforts.
In Reid’s opinion, Jenkins has been piggybacking off of Kaepernick’s movement to position himself as a leader for his own interests (which include gaining support for the Coalition). Reid, a founding member of the Players Coalition, left the Coalition in November 2017 because he claimed there was a lack of transparency about conversations between the group and the NFL. He still considers the Coalition to be a “NFL-funded subversion group” and has called Jenkins a “sellout” — a claim likely tied to Jenkins ending his own on-field protests after the NFL offered it’s November 2017 proposal to contribute nearly $100 million to causes considered important to African-American communities (which the NFL hoped would effectively end the movement that Kaepernick started).
Although Jenkins has yet to publicly address Reid’s most recent comments, both Josh Norman, Washington Redskins cornerback and member of the Players Coalition, and Devin McCourty, New England Patriots safety and member of the Players Coalition, stepped in to share their thoughts. Norman, who is certainly not shy about expressing himself on or off the field, has essentially framed Reid’s issues with Jenkins as complaints from a jealous defector (ie Reid is big mad because neither he nor Kaepernick have leadership roles within the Coalition and because the Coalition hasn’t done enough to support Kaepernick getting back in the league). Norman is also making it personal, going on record as saying “For [Reid] to take a shot like that … he’s not only taking a shot at [Jenkins], he’s taking a shot at everyone in the Players Coalition.”
Norman’s response, however, doesn’t seem to get to the heart of what is driving the wedge between Jenkins and Reid — all of which seem to boil down to three questions:
-
- Who is the Players Coalition and what do they represent? There are over 1500 active players on 32 league teams. The Players Coalition is governed by 12 current and former NFL players — so, mathmatically speaking, not even one player to represent each team. In September 2018, the Coalition published an open letter about their continued social justice efforts, listing several initiatives the group has been involved in including trips to Capitol Hill; ride-alongs with police officers; observing bail hearings for individuals who are too poor to pay their cash bail; meetings with grassroots organizations, community advocates, public defenders and progressive prosecutors, such as a program co-hosted by the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta that provided an in-depth look at the day-to-day struggles of citizens being impacted by over-incarceration; lobbying for criminal justice reform in New York, Pennsylvania and Boston; pushing for the restoration of voting rights in Florida and Louisiana; and hosting candidate forums in multiple states, including California and Missouri. Let’s be clear, this is an incredibly remarkable list of work. But as the conflict between Reid and Jenkins suggests, the question of whohas a seat at the table with respect to the direction and decision of a players group has significance. Who decides what initiatives to pursue and where those initiatives take place?
- What happened with the 2017 draft proposal for 100M from the NFL? Was the money ever provided? If so, when? And what is it being used for? What was the quid pro quo? (see question #1)
- Is it possible for Players Coalition members and non-members to talk it out? From the outside looking in, it looks like Reid, Jenkins, and the like are all aligned on supporting issues that affect underserved communities, it’s just the details that they can’t get on the same page with. If they are truly committed to doing the good work, can these players set aside the posturing and ego to focus on the task at hand?
As McCourty suggested, there is a time and place for certain types of conversations. Perhaps on the field during pre-game of a nationally televised game ain’t it. Is it possible that Reid and Jenkins can get it together in the offseason without airing out any more of the family business? Hope so. Because nobody wins when the family feuds.
Related posts
Comments RSS Feed