Eric Reid Told NFL Owners Colin Kaepernick Was 'Hung Out to Dry' After Protests

During a meeting between NFL owners and players, free-agent safety Eric Reid criticized owners for failing to support Colin Kaepernick as he became one of the faces of the league's protest movement.

"I feel like he was hung out to dry," Reid said of his former teammate during the meeting, per the New York Times' Ken Belson and Mark Leibovich. "Nobody stepped up and said we support Colin's right to do this. We all let him become Public Enemy No. 1 in this country, and he still doesn't have a job."

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long spoke up in the meeting about Kaepernick as well, saying, "If he was on a roster right now, all this negativeness and divisiveness could be turned into a positive."

Long added, "We all agree in this room as players that he should be on a roster."

After opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2017, Kaepernick went unsigned. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this month the Seattle Seahawks postponed a visit with him after he wouldn't commit to stop kneeling during the national anthem.

Although the Seahawks eventually signed Stephen Morris instead, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters the team hadn't eliminated the possibility of signing Kaepernick at some point.

Last October, Kaepernick filed a grievance against league owners, alleging they conspired to keep him out of the NFL as a result of his protests and social advocacy.

According to Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, three NFL owners—Stephen Ross, Jerry Jones and Bob McNair—have been deposed as part of the grievance. Commissioner Roger Goodell, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome have been questioned as well.