San Francisco 49ers Owner Jed York said in a statement that he is committing $1 million to local and national organizations that support minority men, women, and children.
Shortly after York released his statement, former 49ers Safety and best friend of Colin Kaepernick Eric Reid called BS on the authenticity of York’s contribution.
“…We must first have the courage and compassion as human beings to come together and acknowledge the problem: black men, women and children and other oppressed minorities continue to be systemically discriminated against,” York said in a press release.
Reid took to Twitter to respond to York’s statement telling the CEO his money isn’t what’s needed. “Nobody wants your money Jed. We want justice. We’ve always wanted justice. Y’all are truly diluted,” the free-agent athlete tweeted.”
Another former 49ers player, Torrey Smith, came to the defense of York praising his efforts in the fight against injustice and telling his followers that he never heard York tell players not to kneel. Reid disputes the latter claim.
“You speak based on your experience and I understand that. However, I can tell you that you never heard him say ‘don’t kneel’ because you never knelt. He begged me not to kneel,” Reid said.
Reid seemed to have almost been ousted from the league after protesting with Kaepernick, but reached a deal with the Carolina Panthers that turned into a 3-year $22 million contract.