Claiming he had been “under the weather” since the event took place, Reid wrote on Facebook, “Let me address the elephant in the room (and no, I don’t mean [Jason] Whitlock)…Look, I get it—taking a pic with Jason Whitlock is like taking a pic with Samuel L. Jackson in Django—most people might be perplexed by this act and others will get litty on you and call you a ‘coon,’ ‘sellout,’ or even worse. These are the pitfalls of a public life. I accept them.Let me be clear-the skit and photo were not meant to disrespect Colin’s message or political stance. Rather, we wanted to spoof the media’s treatment of him and the circus that has been created. I understand that Whitlock has been a vocal critic of Colin so the optics of the photo have got me looking crazy. But anyone who knows me knows where I stand on Colin Kaepernick—exactly where he stands. Being born and raised in New York City I grew up seeing and reading about dozens of acts of police brutality. And the same way we know the names of Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Michael Brown today, I grew up knowing the same fate had come to Eleanor Bumpurs, Amadou Diallo, and Abner Louima. Sadly, little has changed.

Over the years I have collected my share of controversial friends. People like Bill Maher, Charlamagne Tha God, and a whole host of rappers and actors come quickly to mind. But that doesn’t mean we share the same opinion on all topics. As friends, we have vigorous discussions on sensitive issues and many times we agree to disagree.

Moving forward, I recognize the danger of optics without proper explanation-people race to their own conclusions, good and bad. I also have to accept my part in this controversy—the fact that my rep was taking hits was shocking at first—but I’ve come to a healthy understanding of how some people were dismayed by what went down.

Life moves forward-as always…..and so shallI,” he closed. “I would like to assure you that I haven’t become some different person. I look forward to the future-thanks for reading my manifesto.”

The NFL Boycott Is Working & Masta Ace Says It’s Bigger Than Colin Kaepernick (Video)

In recent years, the Bronx, New York native has contributed voice acting to Spec Ops: The Line.

In related news, a Rap contemporary of Kid ‘N Play, Masta Ace, has released an updated statement on his NFL TV boycott. The exclusive report is part of this week’s TBD episode, which also examines the league’s decreased TV ratings (and the media’s apparent refusal to cite a boycott):