San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid says Colin Kaepernick was kicked out of the Players Coalition by the Philadelphia Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins, and it was one of the reasons he walked away from the group Wednesday.
"Malcolm, which is also a concern that I raised with him, Malcolm kicked Colin out of the coalition following the meeting in New York at the beginning of the season," Reid said, according to Tim McManus and Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "There was a group message, I guess he was the administrator of the message, and he took Colin out."
Reid and Miami Dolphins safety Michael Thomas each withdrew from the coalition, which aims to bring together players and owners to address social injustices around the country.
Jenkins said in a statement to ESPN that he didn't force or keep Kaepernick out of the group.
"It's false," he said. "I've talked with Colin numerous times about being a part of the Coalition. He thought it would be best to work and support us in an informal capacity."
Reid and Jenkins have clashed before, with Reid accusing the Eagles defender of undercutting the players group. Jenkins, one of the primary voices of the coalition, has been adamant he's never done such a thing.
The NFL reportedly proposed a partnership with the coalition that would see nearly $100 million go toward causes considered critically important to African-American communities over a seven-year period. Reid said Jenkins asked him if he'd end his pregame demonstrations if the NFL donated to the coalition, which played a role in his exit from the group.
"At that point, that was the last straw for me," he said. "He had a conversation with the NFL, we agreed that multiple people would be in all conversations with the NFL, it wouldn't just be him solely, so he didn't stand by his word on that. At no point did we ever communicate that an agreement with the NFL would end the protests, so for him to come to that point with the league, it was the last straw for me."
