Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid settle collusion lawsuits against NFL out of court

‘The parties have decided to resolve the grievances,’ according to statement

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid have both settled their collusion lawsuits against the NFL out of court.

The US stars had filed collusion grievances against the league, claiming they had been blacklisted because of protests against racial injustice held during the national anthem at games.

In a statement released Friday, the league said: “For the past several months, counsel for Mr Kaepernick and Mr Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL.

“As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party.”

Mr Kaepernick’s lawyer Mark Geragos tweeted an identical statement.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback not played in the league since 2016. He helped start a wave of protests about social injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the anthem before games.

Mr Kaepernick filed a grievance claim against the league’s owners in October 2017 after going unsigned as a free agent through the fall of that season following his decision to opt out of a contract with the 49ers.

He has been unable to find a team to play for ever since.

While the protests subsided during the NFL season just ended, the issue came up last month when Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed Mr Kaepernick was not the victim of a coordinated effort by owners to bar him from playing, but rather just not a good fit for any of the 32 teams.

Mr Reid, who also played for the 49ers, was a free agent for six months last year after he had took part in the 2016 kneeling protests. He signed with the Carolina Panthers more than $22m (£17m) but missed the first three games of the season.

Officials with the players union also released a statement following the settlement.

“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 in statement.

“We are glad that Eric has earned a job and a new contract, we continue to hope that Colin gets his opportunity as well.”

Additional reporting by agencies