Eric Reid thinks the NFL is targeting him with drug tests: 'It doesn't feel very random'
Eric Reid is taking issue with the NFL’s random drug testing. The safety was signed by the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 27, which was the Panthers’ bye week, and has been tested in five out of the eight weeks he’s played.
Reid is now questioning how random the NFL’s testing really is.
Eric Reid was randomly selected by the NFL to take a drug test today. He told me it's his 6th drug test since signing w/ Panthers on Sept. 27, 5th random (1st test was part of his physical).
"This is supposed to be a random system. It doesn't feel very random."
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) November 25, 2018
“This is supposed to be a random system. It doesn’t feel very random.”
Reid also spoke up about the frequency of his testing in early November, but didn’t question the randomness at that time.
The NFL has randomly selected Eric Reid to take a drug test after tonight's game.
Reid's response: "This is like the fifth time since I've been here … They're not going to catch me on anything."
Says he's got nothing to hide, doesn't take anything illegal pic.twitter.com/hUIJSW4LqY
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) November 9, 2018
Obviously his fifth random drug test (and his sixth overall) was the tipping point. Reid feels like he’s being targeted by the NFL. And while he didn’t say why, the reasons are obvious: Reid’s support of Colin Kaepernick’s protests, and Reid’s collusion grievance against the NFL.
The NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances lays out the basics of weekly testing procedures for each team. Ten players from each club are tested every week, and using a computer program, the independent test administrator randomly selects the players. They can be on the team’s active roster, the practice squad or the reserve list. For the Panthers, that’s between 60 and 70 players. Reid has been one of the 10 selected five times in his eight weeks with the team.
There’s no evidence that the NFL is targeting Reid, but as Reid said, “they’re not going to catch me on anything.” As long as his tests keep coming out clean, the NFL can’t stop him from playing or continuing his protests. And even though Reid has been tested a lot, it’s not hurting him. He has made 48 tackles over eight games with one interception, and has been everything the Panthers needed him to be.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.
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