re: Eric Reid is a miserable person, and mad at Jay-Z

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Eric Reid is a confrontational, miserable a-hole.

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I think he's just an idiot who got drawn into following Kaepernick. A group of players have been focused on helping Kaepernick get a job more than actually helping.

LINK

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Why? That was the dominant question nearly a month later on Nov. 29, when Reid, Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Russell Okung, wideout Kenny Stills and safety Michael Thomas of the Miami Dolphins broke from the coalition on the cusp of a landmark agreement with the NFL. Once you get past all the issues, most notably the lack of trust and an abundance of ego, the simplest answer is irreconcilable differences. Each side had such dramatically different objectives, they should never have coalesced in the first place.

Reid & Co. were focused first on getting Kaepernick a job after the former 49ers quarterback went unsigned entering 2017, perhaps as retaliation for igniting leaguewide protests the previous year when he demonstrated against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. They also believed Kaepernick should lead the talks with the league since, at the core, it was his actions that brought the league to the table.

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The majority of coalition members disagreed. While sympathetic and supportive of Kaepernick’s fight to secure employment through a grievance he filed against the league, the players still thought the focus should remain on the big picture. “He knew there could be consequences,” Norman said. “It’s not right what’s happening, but this is bigger than one person. We’re trying to help communities across this country.”

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But what has the Players Coalition done?
LINK from 2018

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Other players have worked to raise awareness of these issues in different ways, although the media still remains hyper-focused on talking about “the anthem.” We have made trips to Capitol Hill, gone on ride-alongs with police officers and held meetings with grassroots organizations, community advocates, public defenders and progressive prosecutors. We have watched bail hearings during which people have been locked up not because they posed a public-safety threat, but because they were too poor to pay their cash bail. And as we learned, we also worked. We lobbied for criminal justice reform in New York, Pennsylvania and Boston, pushed for the restoration of voting rights in Florida and Louisiana, and for prosecutor accountability across the country. We hosted D.A.–candidate forums in multiple states, including California and Missouri. This is just a sampling of what we have done.

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Our work will continue this season. We hope the media stops asking the same old questions about, “Will they or won’t they protest?” Instead, we want them to focus on our efforts to create a better country for every citizen, and on the reasons why we have not yet met that goal. And we hope that the press, our fans and our skeptics recognize that our desire to draw attention to these pressing issues, either through protest or our off-the-field work, is our own vow of loyalty.

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LINK from Jan 30, 2019

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The NFL’s Players Coalition is putting its money to good use.

At a press conference at the Super Bowl on Wednesday, the group made up of current and former NFL players which looks to address issues that impact communities of color, announced who would be the beneficiaries of their 2018-19 grant program.

The six recipients are:

Year Up, a nonprofit that helps young adults move from minimum wage jobs to employment that can lead to meaningful careers.

Communities in Schools, a group that empowers students to stay in school and helps at-risk youth beat the odds.

Advancement Project, a communications and legal action organization that focuses on civil rights and racial justice.

The National Juvenile Defender Center, a group that provides support to public defenders, law school clinical programs, and nonprofit law centers to provide equality in representation.

The Center for Policing Equity, a research and action thinktank on race and policing.

The Justice Collaborative Engagement Project, a research and advocacy organization devoted to holding public officials accountable for reforming the justice system and building healthier and safer communities.

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So who is in the wrong here? Jay-Z who has done a lot of philanthropy work and is looking to build on the attention Kaepernick helped create or Eric Reid who wants Colin Kaepernick to have a job that pays him several times the average yearly salary of regular Americans?