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Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid was not targeted by the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug testing program, according to a statement released Wednesday by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
The league and union asked John Lombardo, the longtime administrator of the performance-enhancing drug testing program, to investigate after Reid said after the Panthers’ game on Dec. 17 that he’d undergone his seventh drug test since joining the team as a free agent in September. Reid had suggested the tests weren’t random and that he was tested repeatedly because of a collusion grievance he’d filed against the league.
A joint statement from the NFL and players association released Wednesday said their investigation showed no evidence of his claims.
“We take any claim questioning the integrity of our collectively bargained performance enhancing drug policy seriously,” the statement read. “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.”
The San Francisco 49ers selected Reid with the No. 18 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft. Reid, 27, became the first player to join his then-teammate, Colin Kaepernick, in kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice.
On Reid’s behalf, the NFLPA in May filed a grievance, alleging team owners and the league conspired to keep Reid out of the league. He was unemployed until he signed with Carolina in Week 4 but has not dropped the grievance, which is expected to be heard during the offseason.
–Field Level Media