Eric Reid, the N.F.L. safety who knelt alongside Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem before games in 2016, has resumed protesting, taking a knee during the anthem before his first game with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Reid, who was unsigned for a time after leaving the San Francisco 49ers, where he had been a teammate of Kaepernick’s, signed a free-agent deal with the Panthers during their bye week late last month.

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The decision to continue the protest, which is intended to raise awareness of social injustice, particularly the deaths of people of color at the hands of the police, was not a surprise considering Reid’s strong statements in the past, but entering Sunday’s game he had left the door open for not kneeling after signing with the Panthers.

“I’m still evaluating the scope of our country, and I’ll make that decision later,” Reid told reporters on Monday in his first interview since rejoining the league.