SUSPICIOUS

NFL, NFLPA Deny That Eric Reid Was Targeted for Drug Tests

The Carolina Panthers safety was subjected to seven random drug tests after wearing Kaepernick cleats.

The National Football League and the NFL Players Association said in a statement Wednesday that there’s “no evidence” Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid was targeted for drug tests. Reid, who protested against police brutality and racial inequality with Colin Kaepernick and has continued protesting, accused the league of unfairly targeting him after he was hit with his seventh random drug test since signing with the Panthers only 11 weeks ago. “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,” the NFL statement said.

The NFL’s drug-testing system is supposed to randomly select 10 players on each team for screenings. After a recent game, Reid, who has continued supporting Kaepernick by wearing customized cleats that depict his friend kneeling, shared a notice from the league on Twitter that he had once again been randomly selected for a postgame drug screening. Reid posted the photo with the word random in quotations. The probability of being randomly selected five times in eight weeks is around .2 percent, while being selected randomly seven times in 11 weeks drops the result to about .02 percent, according to USA TODAY.

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