Eric Reid will add on-field fines to collusion case: 'It's blatant at this point'
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid is sick of getting fined. The 27-year-old has been penalized three times since joining the Panthers, and he’s planning to do something about it. Reid told The Athletic’s Joe Person that he’s going to use his on-field fines in his collusion case against the NFL.
The issue came to a head after Reid received a $26,000 fine from the NFL for his hit on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphries in Week 13. The hit did not result in a penalty during the game, leading Reid to question why the NFL continues to fine him.
Panthers S Eric Reid talking w/ NFL appeals officer today on $26k fine for unflagged hit on Bucs WR Adam Humphries. 3rd time Reid has been fined.
"It’s blatant at this point. I think everybody can see it. That’s a play that wasn’t flagged on the field. I hit him in the chest."— Joe Person (@josephperson) December 11, 2018
Reid filed a collusion grievance against the league in May after he failed to receive interest from teams on the free-agent market. During the 2016 season, Reid joined Colin Kaepernick in taking a knee to protest racial injustice in the United States. Reid continued to kneel in 2017, and then had trouble finding work once he hit the market.
He eventually signed with the Panthers during the team’s Week 4 bye, but said he would not drop his collusion grievance against the league. Instead, it appears Reid has been adding to that grievance since he’s been back. Not only has Reid been fined three times by the NFL, but he also feels he’s been subject to a high number of random drug tests since he returned.
Reid signed a one-year deal with the Panthers, and is set to become a free agent again in the offseason. If he once again has to wait a long time before joining a new team, Reid will have even more ammo for his collusion grievance against the NFL.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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