Anthem Protester's Coach, Teammates Annoyed at Latest Random Drug Test
While Eric Reid said he is “not surprised” he’s been drug tested by the NFL six times in the past 11 weeks, his Carolina Panthers teammates and coaches are questioning whether the league’s random drug testing policy is truly random.
Coach Ron Rivera said Thursday at his news conference, “If my name came up that many times I would buy a lottery ticket.”
Carolina wide receiver Torrey Smith added, “It’s very excessive.”
“I don’t think there’s any secret about it that something is wrong with that,” said Smith, who said he has been tested “two or three times” this season in 15 weeks.
Several veteran players say that is about the average for an entire season.
Reid said that was his average before this season.
He said he has taken seven drug tests in all (one was mandatory) since signing with Carolina on Sept. 27.
Number 7… ”Random” pic.twitter.com/6HkxXCZhQP
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) December 18, 2018
Reid has also been fined three times for illegal hits totaling nearly $50,000 and ejected once.
The sixth-year safety believes it all stems from his pending collusion case against the NFL that alleges owners conspired to keep him out of the league for kneeling alongside former San Francisco 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem.
“I’ve been a part of depositions,” Reid said. “I have been a part of this legal process, and I’m not surprised in the slightest.”
Reid said his teammates were more shocked than he was when he was selected to be tested again after Monday night’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The 27-year-old said he is not concerned about failing a drug test because he’s never failed one before, but he wants “it to be dually noted that it has happened. … It’s like stop-and-frisk. If I am walking down the street it doesn’t mean I am doing anything illegal, but that doesn’t mean I should be stopped every time.”
Reid said he’s not buying that the league doesn’t have any control over the random tests.
“I perceive that the league is full of you-fill-in-the-blank,” Reid said.
Reid’s collusion case continues despite the fact that he signed with the Panthers three games into the NFL season.
“I wish I could see y’all’s faces when, or if, what I know becomes public from this (collusion) lawsuit,” he said.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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