ASHBURN — Redskins cornerback Josh Norman sounded off on Eric Reid on Thursday after the Carolina Panthers safety had criticized Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and the Players Coalition.
Following Sunday’s Panthers-Eagles game, Reid called Jenkins a “sellout” for partnering with the NFL. The two players also had to be separated following a brief confrontation during the coin toss.
Norman took issue with Reid’s actions.
“To hear Eric come out and do what he did it’s almost like, wow it’s a slap in the face because Malcolm has been nothing but stand up in the Player Coalition like nothing but stand up and everyone knows that,” Norman said. “For him to take a shot like that … he’s not only taking a shot at him he’s taking a shot at everyone in the Players Coalition.”
Last May, the Players Coalition, a group dedicated to criminal justice reform, and the league announced a $90 million deal that would fund various organizations with similar causes. Jenkins leads the Players Colation and Norman is a member of the group.
But before the deal was finalized, Reid and other players left the Players Coalition over a disagreement about the group’s direction.
Reid, The Undefeated reported, wanted friend and former teammate Colin Kaepernick to lead a separate entity focused on the “systematic oppression of black and brown” people. The safety reportedly stopped responding to the Coalition ’s messages.
Norman said the “facts” were on his side and lambasted Reid’s demand to have Kaepernick lead.
Norman said the Players Coalition couldn’t support Kaepernick if he wasn’t going to speak for himself or have a plan. He compared Reid to a parakeet, who repeated Kaepernick’s talking points.
“My thing is if these guys were going to follow him, follow Kaep, they’d have did it,” Norman said. “That’s my whole thing. If you don’t have a direction of where you’re going with the whole thing? How are we going to follow you? I can’t follow you into the abyss.
“I mean you got to have a plan, you got to have something in motion, you got to have something where the guys behind you are backing that.”
Kaepernick has remained unsigned since the end of the 2016 season and has filed a grievance against the NFL — alleging owners colluded to keep him out of the league over his decision to kneel during the national anthem.
Reid, too, filed a similar grievance over his own employment status. The safety was out of the NFL until late September before the Panthers signed Reid to a one-year contract. Even after being signed, Reid told reporters he has no plans to drop his suit.
Norman said he wishes Reid and Kaepernick the best.
“We’re all trying to go in the direction of helping people,” Norman said. “That is the main objective here.”
Norman said he reached out to Reid earlier this week, but added the safety didn’t reply. He also noted Reid could have come up to him before the Redskins’ game against the Panthers earlier this month to address any issues, though didn’t.
After Sunday’s game, Reid said Jenkins’ co-opted the movement started by Kaepernick to get the Players Coalition funded.
“We believe a lot of players should have stepped up for Colin,” Reid told reporters. “I believe Malcolm capitalized on the situation. … It’s cowardly. He sold us out.”
Norman, though, disagreed.
“Sellout?” Norman said. “What are we selling out? Come on man lets be honest with ourselves. I got the facts, you got the facts. I’m not going to spill it but you know it.
“Please don’t come at us like that, that’s not what you want to do, that’s not the problem you want.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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