Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid and Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins jawed on the field ahead of Sunday's game at Lincoln Financial Field, as tensions surrounding the NFL Players Coalition spilled over on to the field.
The two had to be separated, and Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith -- a teammate of Reid's in San Francisco and Jenkins' in Philadelphia -- tried to restrain Smith on the sideline.
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Jenkins spearheaded a group that formed the Players Coalition last year. They met with NFL owners last October, as players continued to protest police brutality and racial inequality during the playing of the national anthem before games.
Reid, the first player to protest during the national anthem alongside former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, withdrew from the coalition in November. He claimed Kaepernick was kicked out of the group and Jenkins spoke with NFL owners on his own accord.
After Sunday's game, Reid called Jenkins "a sellout."
"We believe a lot of players should have stepped up for Colin," Reid told reporters in Philadelphia. "I believe Malcolm capitalized on the situation. He co-opted the movement that was started by Colin to get his organization funded. It's cowardly. He sold us out."
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Reid said he was fighting systemic oppression and neocolonialism. When asked, Reid said he would consider Jenkins a neo-colonialist.
Jenkins previously denied Kaepernick was kicked out of the Players Coalition, but Mark Geragos, the quarterback's attorney, told Slate last year that they "were verbatim told that Colin had no role" in the group. On Sunday, Jenkins declined to address what Reid said.
"I'm not going to say anything negative about that man," Jenkins said. "I respect him. I'm glad he has a job back in the league."
The Players Coalition and the NFL officially partnered to donate a minimum of $90 million to programs fighting social inequality in May. Reid expressed his reservations with the group last November, telling Slate at the time that "Malcolm conveyed to us ... that the money would come from funds that are already allocated to breast cancer awareness and Salute to Service." In October, he called the Players Coalition "an NFL-funded subversion group," shortly after signing a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers.
Reid remained unsigned until that point, and filed a collusion grievance against the league in May. Jenkins said Sunday that he believed Reid's "stance was the only reason he was not in the league, so I'm glad that was rectified."
After the game, Kaepernick tweeted his support of Reid.