Eric Reid's grievance against Bengals denied by arbitrator

Thomas Lott

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Eric Reid's grievance against Bengals denied by arbitrator image

A grievance filed by the NFL Players Association on behalf of Eric Reid against the Bengals has been denied by an independent arbitrator.

Reid's grievance was centered around the Bengals asking the then-free agent safety if he planned to continue to kneel during the national anthem in an interview in the spring.

The NFLPA claims this was a precondition of employment for Reid. The grievance focused on the fact the NFL had not yet passed the rule mandating that players must either stand for the anthem or stay in the locker room if they so pleased.

The rule has yet to be put into effect.

However, the independent arbitrator ruled the Bengals were within their rights to ask the question. Reid was not signed by the Bengals after taking his visit. He agreed to a deal with the Panthers in September.

The NFLPA released a statement after the ruling Tuesday.

"Arbitrator Shyam Das issued a decision yesterday siding with management and denying Eric Reid's claim against the Cincinnati Bengals. We are disappointed in this decision, especially since the arbitrator affirms the facts which our filing was based upon and provides no in-depth analysis of why management can engage in behavior that violates fair hiring practices.

"Despite this decision, we are thrilled that Eric Reid is back with an NFL club doing the job he loves and our hope is that Colin Kaepernick follows him back to the playing field soon." 

Reid's collusion grievance filed by the NFLPA against the NFL alleging he was not signed by teams because he knelt during the national anthem hasn't been ruled upon yet. 

Thomas Lott