S Reid aims to invalidate new CBA, force re-vote

Former Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid is aiming to invalidate the new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association and force a re-vote, citing a discrepancy in language in the agreement.

Reid's lawyers sent a letter to the NFLPA on Monday saying that the language used in one specific section was changed in a version that was posted on the union's website after the CBA was approved by players.

According to the letter, the version of the CBA given to players on March 5 included just one paragraph in Article 60 Section 4 -- referring to Social Security disability insurance for ex-players -- but the version posted on the NFLPA's site on March 15 included two new sub-paragraphs that could alter the eligibility of former players' insurance claims.

The players' window to vote ended the night of March 14, and the vote passed by a 1,019-959 margin, installing the new agreement through 2030.

Given the discrepancy in language, the letter, which Reid posted on social media, concluded by saying, "the only acceptable solution would appear to be the immediate invalidation of the newly passed CBA and for a new vote to be taken so that players have access to all of the contractual language they are voting on."

The letter also called for "an independent investigation regarding how these changes occurred and the overall lack of transparency to membership during the CBA process."

In statements to Pro Football Talk and ESPN, the NFLPA said it is reviewing the letter. The NFL declined to comment.

Reid, 28, was among the players most vocally opposed to the new CBA, which most notably adds a 17th game to the regular season while boosting the players' revenue share. Reid's lawyer, Mark Geragos, reviewed the proposed CBA and issued a summary in early March, claiming that the agreement "disproportionately empowers ownership, disproportionately enriches ownership and disproportionately burdens the players with the risks."

Geragos also represented Reid in his collusion case against the NFL, which began in 2018 and was ultimately settled along with former teammate Colin Kaepernick's collusion case in February 2019.

Attorneys Ben Meiselas, a Geragos associate, and Ray Genco, from Genco Law, drafted the letter that Reid sent Monday to the NFLPA.

Reid was released by the Carolina Panthers on March 18, just over a year after signing a three-year, $22 million contract. He remains a free agent.

--Field Level Media