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Colin Kaepernick Reaches Deal With The NFL To Settle Collusion Allegations

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (left), shown here in 2016, has reached an agreement with the NFL over his allegations of collusion by teams.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (left), shown here in 2016, has reached an agreement with the NFL over his allegations of collusion by teams.

Updated at 3:05 p.m. ET

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the NFL have reached an agreement to settle his allegations that league teams colluded to deny him a contract after his controversial protests in which he took a knee during the national anthem.

The league has also reached a deal with Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid over similar collusion allegations.

A lawyer for Kaepernick, Mark Geragos, tweeted that after discussions, the "parties have decided to resolve their pending grievances." The NFL issued an identical statement.

Details of the agreement are not public. "The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party," the statement said.

Kaepernick said he was protesting the treatment of African-Americans and other minorities in the United States. He started his protests in August 2016. When he became a free agent at the end of the season, he was not picked up by any team. He filed a grievance in 2017 alleging collusion among team owners to keep him out of the NFL.

The quarterback scored a major victory last August, when the NFL arbitrator agreed to move forward with a formal hearing of his claims.

Reid, who participated in the protests with Kaepernick, also was not signed after the 2016 season. The Carolina Panthers picked him up in 2018.

The NFL Players Associationissued a statementof support after the agreement was announced. "We continuously supported Colin and Eric from the start of their protests, participated with their lawyers throughout their legal proceedings and were prepared to participate in the upcoming trial in pursuit of both truth and justice for what we believe the NFL and its clubs did to them," the NFLPA said.

It concluded: "We are glad that Eric has earned a job and a new contract, and we continue to hope that Colin gets his opportunity as well."
Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.