With just one week left of training camp for the Carolina Panthers, players and coaches alike are excited to be inching closer to yet another NFL season. But, for Panthers’ Safety Eric Reid, the beginning of the new season sparks another round of “random” drug tests from the league offices.
Random Drug Tests Continue For Eric Reid
Reid first noticed an increase in the number of times he was drug tested just weeks after he inked a new contract with the Panthers back in 2018. He first voiced his opinion about the supposedly “random” drug tests back in December, just days after the Pro Bowl safety had undergone his seventh test of the season. Now, just two weeks into training camp, Reid is already under the league’s proverbial microscope. During Carolina’s two weeks at Wofford University, Reid has already undergone two drug tests.
According to Reid, he has undergone an official number of three drug tests since the beginning of the new league year. Several of Reid’s teammates have taken notice of the tests and spoke to the media about it. Panther’s Head Coach Ron Rivera spoke to the media regarding the situation, saying this:
“If my name came up that many times I would buy a lottery ticket.”
Panthers’ wideout Torrey Smith added that the amount of times Reid has been tested so far seems “very excessive.”
Theory Behind The “Random” Drug Tests
Many members of the media have long speculated that the cause for these excessive drug tests is anything but “random”. Reid, who was one of the first players to kneel beside Colin Kaepernick, is no stranger to “coincidences” like these. Reid began the protest with Kaepernick when the pair were teammates on the San Francisco 49ers. After joining the protest, Reid struggled to secure another job in the NFL and filed a grievance against the league.
But that all changed in 2018, when the Panthers decided to take a shot on the Pro Bowl talent and inked him to a one-year deal. Fast forward to 2019, and both Kaepernick and Reid have settled in their case against the NFL, yet Reid still continues to be “randomly” drug tested excessively. Some members of the media believe that Reid is being excessively drug tested simply because he decided to fight the NFL in court.
Reid took to social media early Saturday, announcing his second drug test of the season in a twitter post.
Two weeks into camp, two “random” PED tests…3 “randoms” this league year. S/O to my trainers Josh, @bighousepower and Jason. Just keep track with me y’all 😉 pic.twitter.com/xQXbt4EWxJ
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 11, 2019
While many thought Reid’s frequent drug tests would come to an end in 2018, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Just two weeks into the new season, Reid is already beginning to feel pressure from the league offices, with that pressure almost certainly promising to continue into the regular season.
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