NFL player Eric Reid has said it was “infuriating” that President Trump used “racial slurs” against athletes protesting in the name of civil rights while praising neo-Nazis in Virginia.

Mr Reid, a safety for the San Francisco 49ers, defended his and other players’ right to kneel on the field during the national anthem as a “respectful” protest movement in response to police brutality against people of colour.

“I have too often seen our efforts belittled with statements like ‘He should have listened to the officer,’ after watching an unarmed black person get shot, or ‘There is no such thing as white privilege’ and ‘Racism ended years ago.’ We know that racism and white privilege are both very much alive today,” he wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

"And it’s disheartening and infuriating that President Trump has referred to us with slurs but the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Va., as ‘very fine people’.

"His remarks are a clear attempt to deepen the rift that we’ve tried so hard to mend."

Mr Reid’s comments follow President Trump lambasting athletes on Twitter, tweeting more about the NFL over the last few days than any other subject.

American sportspeople kneel in protest Show all 14 1 /14 American sportspeople kneel in protest American sportspeople kneel in protest Terrance Smith #48, Eric Fisher #72, Demetrius Harris #84, and Cameron Erving #75 of the Kansas City Chiefs is seen taking a knee before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at the StubHub Center on 24 September, 2017 in Carson, California Sean M. Haffey/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Members of the Dallas Cowboys link arms and kneel during the National Anthem before the start of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on 25 September, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona Christian Petersen/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Bruce Maxwell of the Oakland Athletics kneels as teammate Mark Canha #20 places his hand on Maxwell's shoulder during the singing of the National Anthem before their MLB American League baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California on 25 September 2017 Reuters/Stephen Lam American sportspeople kneel in protest Members of the Oakland Unified School District Honor Band kneel as they perform the national anthem before a MLB American League baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California on 25 September, 2017 Reuters/Stephen Lam American sportspeople kneel in protest Samaje Perine #32 and Chris Carter #55 of the Washington Redskins hold hands as they stand and kneel in unison during the national anthem before playing against the Oakland Raiders at FedExField on 24 September, 2017 in Landover, Maryland Patrick Smith/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Meghan Linsey, a former contestant on "The Voice," kneels after singing the national anthem before the start of the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks football game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on 24 September, 2017 Ryan Hermens/The Paducah Sun via AP American sportspeople kneel in protest The Los Angeles Chargers are seen during national anthem before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at the StubHub Center on 24 September, 2017 in Carson, California Jeff Gross/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Nick Kyrgios of Team World joined NFL stars from Wembley by dropping his knee before his Laver Cup match with Roger Federer today during his mens singles match against Roger Federer of Team Europe on the final day of the Laver cup on 24 September, 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic Julian Finney/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Laremy Tunsil #67, Maurice Smith #27 and Julius Thomas #89 kneel with Jarvis Landry #14 of the Miami Dolphins during the National Anthem prior to an NFL game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on 24 September, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey Steven Ryan/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receivers Mike Evans #13, and DeSean Jackson #11, take a knee during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Vikings on 24 September, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota Hannah Foslien/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Denver Broncos players kneel during the American National Anthem before an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on 24 September, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York Brett Carlsen/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Buffalo Bills players kneel during the American National anthem before an NFL game against the Denver Broncos on 24 September, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York Brett Carlsen/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to playing the Los Angeles Rams in their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. The kneel began as a protest against police killing people of colour Thearon W. Henderson/Getty American sportspeople kneel in protest Megan Rapinoe #15 kneels during the National Anthem prior to the match between the United States and the Netherlands at Georgia Dome on 18 September, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia Kevin C. Cox/Getty

The President said at an Alabama rally at the weekend that he would urge NFL chiefs to get any “son of a b**** off the field” who refused to stand and even called for a boycott of NFL games.

Mr Trump insisted his comments about their protests were “nothing to do with race”, rather they were to do with “respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem”, as he wrote on Twitter.

He recently came under fire for saying there were “very fine people on both sides” of the Charlottesville protests in August, including a protest by a group of neo-Nazis and a counter protest, during which campaigner Heather Heyer was killed.

The NFL protest movement was sparked by Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, who decided to sit down during the national anthem. Mr Reid joined him and they decided to kneel.

Dallas Cowboys display own message of defiance to Donald Trump after NFL anthem protests

The move sparked furious controversy, and Mr Kaepernick was not hired for a 2017 contract.

His initial protest has led to a wider movement, including dozens of NFL players kneeling in London this week, with President Trump's latest comments arguably acting as a catalyst.

In the US, the Dallas Cowboys and the team’s owner locked arms and knelt on the ground. President Trump described the boos in the stadium as “great anger” from US citizens.

The protests have also spread to basketball and baseball, in the men’s and women’s teams.

"Anybody who has a basic knowledge of football knows that his unemployment has nothing to do with his performance on the field," wrote Mr Reid in the New York Times.