Fooch’s update: The withdrawal of Reid and Thomas coincides with the NFL submitting a proposal to the players that would involve contributing $100 million to “fund causes considered critically important to African-American communities.” According to ESPN’s Jim Trotter, the NFL hopes this will “effectively end” the peaceful protests started by Colin Kaepernick last year.
The money includes at least $89 million over a seven-year period, involving contributions from players at the local level equaling $250,000 per team. The remainder of the money would come through fundraising via telethons and game-worn jersey auctions.
The withdrawal of Reid and Thomas would suggest there is concern that this is simply a matter of the NFL trying to buy the players’ silence for what is effectively a pittance in the bigger picture of NFL revenues.