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The Panthers need a safety. But not badly enough to bring the best safety available to Carolina.

On Tuesday, Panthers receiver Torrey Smith nevertheless publicly lobbied his employer to employ Eric Reid.

“I think we all know why he hasn’t received a call,” Smith told reporters, via ESPN.com.

“Honestly, with our injuries, I hope he ends up here,” Smith said. “I know how he is as a talent. If this is something where they come and talk to me about him, I’ll be glad to talk about him as a player, as a person. He’s one of the best men I’ve been around, so I hope that is something that can happen for us because I know that with the injuries we have, he’s a guy that can help this team. I really hope he gets a shot. He deserves it, and it’s not right what’s happened to him.”

Last year, unnamed sources with agendas and some in the media (possibly with agendas of their own) worked overtime to justify the shunning of Colin Kaepernick. This year, it’s almost as if no one is even trying to fashion a facially plausible excuse for the continued unemployment of Kaepernick and Reid, both of whom were at the forefront of the protests during the national anthem and both of whom have filed collusion claims against the NFL, alleging a coordinated effort to keep them out of football.

Some think that the ongoing unemployment of Kaepernick and Reid is justified by the fact that they’ve essentially sued those who would employ them. Those who think that retaliation of this type is permitted have no appreciation or understanding of the federal and state legal rights against that apply to anyone who advances legitimate legal claims against current or former employers.

Those who think that retaliation of this type is permitted would quickly develop such an appreciation or understanding if something like this happened to them or to one of their friends or family members.