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Why the NFL paying players to stop protesting is just a charade

colin kaepernick December 1, 2017
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The NFL and the Players Coalition has reached a $90 million settlement to assist in player activism, donating to causes “critically important to African-American communities.”

Yet the player protests are still not resolved and many players are left unhappy with the decision.

Eagles safety Michael Jenkins and free agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin founded the NFL Players Coalition as a solution to solve the ongoing dispute between its constituent parties and the NFL owners.

Since then, players have been working together to dispel the willful blindness that is being demonstrated by a majority of the NFL owners, the majority of its fans, and sponsors. For most of us we all know that the NFL is all about their bottom $$$$$ line.

49ers safety Eric Reid says he’s no longer a part of the Players Coalition and is speaking out against the move because he feels that it is solving nothing.

“Malcolm did text me this morning asking if we would be comfortable ending our demonstrations if the NFL made a donation,” Reid said Wednesday.

“At that point, that was the last straw for me. He had a conversation with the NFL. We agreed that multiple people would be part of the conversations with the league so it just wouldn’t be him. He didn’t stand by his word on that. At no point did we ever communicate an agreement with the NFL to end the protest.”

Reid, who is former teammates and good friends with the man that began the whole movement, Colin Kaepernick, says that Kaep was kicked out of the coalition.

Reid isn’t alone in his decision to leave the Players Coalition.

Chargers tackle Russell Okung and Dolphins safety Michael Thomas all announced on Tuesday they have withdrawn from the group as well.

There’s clearly a feeling that the coalition is unsatisfactory amongst certain players with the way things got handled Thursday. Truth is, this whole thing has been about the bottom line. $100 million sounds like a pay out.

Basically telling NFL players “here’s a 100 Million reasons why you should find an alternative cause that somehow doesn’t affect both our bottom lines.”

Jenkins and co. are perhaps thinking about finding a solution to the way the protests are being handled.

On the other hand Eric Reid and others don’t seem to share the same enthusiasm, with good reason. I mean what does a $100 million for charity do for the issue at hand?

Reid states,

“It hasn’t been brought to ownership yet. It’s not real,” he said. “I give kudos to the NFL for wanting to step up and help us with regard to systemic oppression. I question their intent behind it. I personally think they just want the protests to end because it’s hurting their bottom line.”

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Jenkins says that the cause remains the same but Reid maybe feels that no amount of monetary value can solve the issues that exist in America. This battle stretches far beyond monetary gain.

But Reid is now claiming that the donation is nothing but a charade. Despite risking his career and potentially being blackballed by the NFL, just like Kaepernick, he told Slate via CBS Sports,

“In the discussion that we had, Malcolm (Jenkins) conveyed to us — based on discussions that he had with the NFL — that the money would come from funds that are already allocated to breast cancer awareness and Salute to Service.

“So it would really be no skin off the owners’ backs: They would just move the money from those programs to this one.”

The injustice of disenfranchised groups in our society, particularly for the African-American community, is not just going away.

Reid’s party wants to end systematic oppression and give back to disenfranchised communities, which in all is a good deed, the disagreement is how to go about doing it.

Jets linebacker Demario Davis seems to have no issue with how the coalition is handling things stating that,

“The Coalition has been a very solid group, as far as I’ve been concerned,” Davis said.

“Everything’s been positive. Talks between leadership, which is Anquan and Malcolm, and ownership, and it’s been very positive. We hope we make leeway in the negotiations and how we can get things done the best way to help the community.”

Maybe there is a long term solution to this, maybe there isn’t, but the short term solution for now is a $100 million to a charity of choice.

But does this throw all the progress and impact from the protests down the drain?

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