Eric Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers during their week four bye of the 2018 NFL season. On December 11th, Reid tweeted out that he was being tested for the 7th time in 11 weeks with the team.
Number 7… ”Random” pic.twitter.com/6HkxXCZhQP
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) December 18, 2018
This was astonishing to many given that fact that most players, who are not in special drug testing programs, are only “randomly” tested once a year. With questions swirling that the league was singling out Reid because of his stance in support of Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racial injustice, the NFL launched an investigation and concluded that there was no evidence of targeting.
“We take any claim questioning the integrity of our collectively bargained performance enhancing drug policy seriously. We asked the independent administrator of the policy to review and produce a report on the claims of targeting. A copy of this report, which contains personal and confidential testing information, has been provided to Eric Reid.
“We will not breach any player’s confidentiality, but can confirm that the report documents the dates he was randomly selected for testing and the actual dates of the drug tests. The report also demonstrates that Mr. Reid’s tests were randomly generated via computer algorithm and that his selection for testing was normal when compared with the number of tests players were randomly selected for throughout the league during the time that he was on an active roster. There is no evidence of targeting or any other impropriety with respect to his selection for testing.”
Ian Rapoport tweeted after the NFL released this statement that there questions about if Reid’s claims are valid.
More on the independent administrator’s report on Eric Reid’s drug tests claims: Source said it was determined that Reid was drug tested fewer times than he publicly claimed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2019
Reid has yet to comment on the league’s investigation or claims that he was tested fewer times than he claimed.