Is The NFL Harassing Reid?

Seven times. Selected seven times for a random drug test. Is being selected seven times random? How many times in a season would one consider it random? Three, four, or five times? Or, is it a more calculated, perhaps manipulative, play by the NFL? Is it a way to subtly discredit the reputation of Eric Reid?


In mathematically terms, Reid being selected 7 times is not random. Two conditions must be met for something to be random in math: (1) the values are uniformly distributed over a defined period, and (2) it’s impossible to predict future values based on the past or current ones. Being selected 7 times in less than the 3 months Eric Reid has been back in the NFL does not meet those conditions (Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers on September 27, 2018).


Something smells fishy, and it isn’t the catfish frying in restaurants in Charlotte. If the NFL was trying to prove it didn’t blackball Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick, the continuing “random” drug testing of Reid is not helping their case. While most would say never say never, I am going to put this out there: Eric Reid is never going to fail a drug test. If he did, the NFL would look like it was setting him up to cover it’s SIX (ask a military person if you don’t know what that means).


At this point, the NFL looks like it is harassing Reid. Seven is not random even if you have a glitch in your software. Fix the problem; don’t add to it. Harassment can come in the form of retaliation, and unfortunately, organizations do retaliate against those they can’t control. An organizations feel they can’t control people who are willing to use their legal rights to defend themselves . . . hence, Eric Reid.


Perhaps, the best strategy the NFL and its lawyers could do at this time is leave Reid alone and find a job for Kaepernick. The best way to avoid to antitrust and harassment issues is to never commit them in the first place; the second best way is apologize and correct your mistakes ASAP.