The grievance filed by the NFLPA on behalf of Panthers s

afety Eric Reid earlier this year has been denied by an arbitrator.At the heart of the grievance Reid filed was his free agent visit with the Bengals earlier this year. Reid was asked by the team if he planned to continue kneeling during the playing of the national anthem this year and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that arbitrator Shyam Das ruled that the Bengals were within their rights to ask Reid about his plans.The grievance contended the question put a precondition on Reid’s employment in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.Reid signed with the Panthers this month and has taken a knee during the anthem. He also had a confrontation with Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins on the field before last Sunday’s game and harsh words for Jenkins’ approach to social activism after it.Reid still has a collusion grievance pending against the NFL as a whole. His former 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick has also filed a collusion grievance against the league and an arbitrator ruled that case could move forward to trial.Carolina Panthers TE Ian Thomas is the next generation of Keep Pounding With 51 days left to go until the Carolina Panthers kick off the season against the Dallas Cowboys Youth James Bradberry Jersey , Bradley Smith wrote a stellar tribute piece talking about the only man who will ever sport the number 51 again for the black and blue, Sam Mills. That article got me thinking again about his inspirational “Keep Pounding” speech and the incredible playoff run it inspired, and about how his legacy and message of overcoming adversity transferred perfectly into the living body of Thomas Davis.Thomas Davis has been an incredible standard bearer for the Keep Pounding mantra over his NFL career, enduring an astounding amount of knee surgeries (three to be exact) while continuing to perform at an All-Pro level, and even playing in the Super Bowl with a broken arm. Now a cagey veteran, the team is going to have to start to consider a time without TD on the field. It could be as early as next offseason Stitched James Bradberry Jersey , but it also could be a little longer according to TD himself. Either way, the on-field legacy is going to need a new host. Thomas Davis is perfectly healthy and will hopefully live a long life after football, and I’m sure he’ll maintain that same driven spirit, but the team needs a guy on the field that exhibits that virtue, that tenacity to overcome and prevail, someone who just has “the stuff” Sam Mills talked about baked into his bones.Enter Ian Thomas Youth Vernon Butler Jersey , a mid-round rookie tight end with an inspirational backstory that anyone can cheer for, but has yet to play a down in the NFL. Panthers.com did an amazing video outlining his story that I highly recommend you all watch:If that doesn’t move you, quite frankly, you can’t be my friend. I want all the best for this kid, and I want his NFL career to be a keynote on what is already an inspiring life.Obviously, both Sam Mills and Thomas Davis have a long list of on-field accomplishments to go with their stories and right now we have no idea about Ian Thomas the player Stitched Vernon Butler Jersey , but we have received a great look into Ian Thomas the man. That ability to rise above and turn each hard-earned inch into a mile, that’s the stuff that inhabited Mills, still inhabits Davis, and oozes from the pores of the Keep Pounding mantra. Time still has yet to write the NFL story of Ian Thomas, but the book is hard leather bound, the pages are crisp and resilient Youth Taylor Moton Jersey , and the desk is sturdy. May the spirit of Sam Mills guide the hand over the pages in a way that honors a great off-field story with a tremendous on-field legacy.KEEP POUNDING.