Seconds before the national anthem began, Eric Reid dropped to a knee.
The Carolina Panthers signed Reid, a former Pro Bowl safety with the San Francisco 49ers, to a one-year contract during its bye last week. After starter Da'Norris Searcy was placed on injured reserve, Reid represented an immediate upgrade in the secondary.
But along with his reputation as a ball-hawking, physical safety, Reid is also well-known for being the first player to kneel alongside former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick. During the 2016 season, Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem as a way to protest social injustice and police brutality, especially among minority groups.
Both Reid and Kaepernick remained unsigned this offseason, even though both are under-30 ex-starters with postseason experience, prompting the two to file collusion lawsuits against the NFL (which Reid confirmed in his introductory press conference Monday are still ongoing).
Last Monday, Reid said he was still deciding whether he would continue to protest. On Sunday, he became the first Carolina Panther to protest by kneeling.
When asked in that same press conference why he was willing to risk potentially not playing in the NFL again, Reid explained why he protests.
"I'll put it this way: Next year will be 2019," Reid said. "It will mark 400 years since the first slaves touched the soil in this country. That's 400 years of systemic oppression _ that's slavery, Jim Crow, new Jim Crow, mass incarceration, you name it.
"The Great Depression: They come out with the New Deal, black people didn't have access to those government stimulus packages. The New Deal set up what is known as the modern-day middle class. We didn't have access to those programs _ the G.I. Bill, social security, home loans none of that.
"So this has been happening since my people have gotten here. And so I just felt the need to say something about it."
About 15 minutes after Reid took a knee Sunday, late arrivals were still streaming into Bank of America Stadium's north gate. Shelley Wiggins walked in the opposite direction.
Wiggins said she was disappointed by Reid kneeling.
"I mean, I understand he feels like he's doing something noble, but to teach a generation of children to hate the police and America is not the right way to fix the problem," she said.
Controversy over protests during the anthem grew during the 2017 season, and in late September, President Donald Trump tweeted that players who don't stand should be "fired."
In the days after Trump's tweet, more than 200 players protested during the anthem, according to a September 2017 Associated Press story. No Panthers knelt, although veteran defensive end Julius Peppers stayed in the locker room.
"I felt like (Trump) attacked ... my brothers in the league, so I felt like it was appropriate to stand up with them," Peppers said after the game.
New Panthers owner David Tepper has refuted the idea that players who protest the anthem are unpatriotic.
"It's the biggest pile of bull-dingy ever. These are some of the most patriotic people and best people. These are great young men," Tepper told CNBC in September.
After Reid took a knee Sunday, social media quickly filled with criticism and praise.
