Eric Reid Says 49ers CEO Jed York Supports Players' Protests
San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid said Jed York, the team's CEO, supports players that choose to protest during the national anthem.
"I've talked to Jed, and he's expressed very clearly that he wants to support us. That he's not going to force us to do anything," Reid told reporters after practice on Wednesday.
Those comments come days after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said any player who protests during the national anthem will not play.
"We cannot in the NFL, in any way, give the implication that we are in any way disrespecting the flag," Jones told ESPN's Todd Archer. "We cannot do that. I know the Vice President did leave because in his opinion the teams were. We know that there is serious debate in the country about this issue."
Jones kneeled with his players before the team's Week 3 game, which was the first weekend of games after Donald Trump said NFL owners should fire players who protest during the anthem.
Reid was then asked if he sensed that owners like Jones would eventually call on players to stop protesting during the national anthem.
"I was hoping that it wasn't, but I did sense that," Reid said. "They said it was going to be a one week thing when they did it. So yeah, I expected it."
Reid was one of the first players to join his former teammate Colin Kaepernick in protesting during the anthem last year.
On Tuesday, Roger Goodell issued a memo that stated he and the league believe every team should stand for the national anthem, but that the league has no current proposal for a rule that would require players to do so.
