Colin Kaepernick being ‘blackballed’ by NFL, says Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins

The comments from Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins come amid his feud with Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid.

In a protest against police brutality, and to show support for people of colour he says are oppressed in the US, Kaepernick began sitting on the bench during the national anthem in 2017 pre-season games. That led to him kneeling during the anthem.

The Jenkins-Reid fissure is rooted in the agreement between the non-profit Players Coalition and the NFL. Both players were part of the coalition, but Reid left amid concerns about its agenda.

While the NFL agreed to provide almost US$100 million for causes considered important to people in African-American areas, Reid argued that Kaepernick, and his drive for social justice, should have played a stronger role in forging the agreement.

Reid, who continues to kneel during the national anthem, has said he believes Jenkins “co-opted with the movement that was started by Colin to get his organisation started. It was cowardly. He sold us out.”

Jenkins views Kaepernick’s situation and the social justice push as separate issues, and his comments on Wednesday came back to the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, while also taking a dig at the Jacksonville Jaguars.