Panthers' Reid attacks NFL amid slew of drug tests

The inordinate number of random drug tests administered to Eric Reid this season has the Carolina Panthers safety convinced that the NFL has a target on his back.

"I perceive that the league is full of you-fill-in-the-blanks," he said Thursday, per ESPN's David Newton. "I wish I could see y'alls faces if what I know becomes public from this lawsuit.''

Reid, who's suing the NFL for collusion, drew his seventh drug test in 11 games after the Panthers lost to the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. The 27-year-old's ongoing lawsuit claims that NFL owners conspired to keep him out of the league much like they did to close friend Colin Kaepernick.

Reid struggled to find work in the offseason and wasn't signed until Week 4, despite establishing himself as a viable starter over five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

"I'm not concerned I'm going to fail a drug test,'' he said. "I've never failed a drug test in my life. It's not like I'm worried about it. But it's duly noted that it's happened. It's (like) stop-and-frisk. If I'm walking down the street, I know I'm not doing anything illegal, but that doesn't mean I should be stopped every time I go outside.

"I know what I'm going up against. I'm not surprised by this. This is some of the least shocking things that I'm aware of in this collusion case. So my teammates are more shocked about it than I am.''

Panthers coach Ron Rivera joked that Reid should buy a lottery ticket given how many times his name has come up for selection.

"I guess there was something about some mathematician saying it's highly improbable, but definitely possible,'' Rivera said. "But I'll say this: if my name came up that many times, I'd buy a lottery ticket.''

The NFL Players Association is reportedly investigating the degree to which Reid has been selected for drug tests.

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