After Sunday night’s Panthers win, Eric Reid spoke about the “bittersweet” feeling of playing in his first NFL game since going unsigned for nearly one year. According to CBS Sports, the football safety, who knelt with Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem to protest social injustices in 2016, said his former teammate should also be on the field.

“It’s bittersweet,” the former 49er told The Undefeated’s, Jason Reid. “I won the game, but Colin is at home with my kids. He should be playing.”

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Eric Reid continued to take a knee in the 2017 season, as a result, went unsigned this past offseason until the Panthers picked him up in May.

Although several teams passed up on the 26-year-old likely because of his stance, he would not let that discourage his peaceful protest. Eric Reid took a knee during Sunday’s game.

“Everybody in this [locker room], everybody who watches this game [and] everybody in this country knows what we’re talking about,” Eric Reid said after the Panthers victory over the New York Giants. “It’s the truth. You can’t deny it. We’ve just got to do more to make this better.”

He continued, “People who don’t want things to change, people who want to maintain the status quo … they have to subvert. They have to distract. They have to redirect from what we’re trying to accomplish. We have to stay strong. We have to stay diligent.”