"It reminds me of Will Smith and Chris Rock" - NFL star regrets altercation with Eric Reid

Retired NFL safety Malcolm Jenkins has lifted the lid on his now-infamous altercation with Eric Reid amid the Black Lives Matter movement that centered around Colin Kaepernick.

It was at the height of the national anthem protests around the NFL.

The 34-year-old was a guest on The Pivot podcast and revealed that the incident with Reid was one of the most embarrassing moments of his storied career, given they were both fighting for the same thing.

Jenkins said:

“I think one of the most embarrassing times in my entire career, was this altercation with Eric, because I really could have avoided it. Like, whatever he is on is fine, but I didn’t have to engage."

“So it really, it reminds me of the Will Smith and Chris Rock thing where it’s like your own individual moment. I’m looking like this mother f***er is trying me. And you gotta deal with your own stuff, but really big picture, for what we were trying to accomplish, it really, like the worse thing. I woke up the next day and the photograph on the front of the paper is me and him face-to-face."

Jenkins added:

“Right, you got a bunch of white reporters showcasing to black men. We are supposed to be for the movement, arguing and fighting, and I was like, that’s embarrassing because of the intentions of what I want to get done, but you know, you have your moments.”

Malcolm Jenkins retires after 13 NFL seasons

New Orleans Saints v Philadelphia Eagles

The 34-year-old made the decision to retire last month after spending 13 seasons in the NFL. Drafted with the 14th pick in the 2009 draft by the New Orleans Saints, Jenkins would go on to win a Super Bowl in his rookie year, before winning another one eight years later in 2017 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The star safety finished with 199 games played, 21 interceptions and seven touchdowns to his name. He was also a three-time Pro Bowler for good measure.

Having such a great career, the 34-year-old is still haunted by the altercation with Eric Reid all these years later. While the pair were fighting for the same thing, tensions and tempers got the better of them.