NFL responds after Odell Beckham Jr. claims he's targeted for PED testing: 'Nobody is getting tested like me'
In the aftermath of last Thursday’s Browns-Steelers debacle that saw Myles Garrett swing a helmet at Mason Rudolph’s head, one story flew under the radar.
Odell Beckham Jr. accused the NFL of targeting him for PED testing.
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver received notice of a random drug test after the game and asked Cleveland.com to write a story about the frequency of his PED testing.
‘NFL is drug testing me after every game’
“Man, why don’t you write a story about why the NFL is drug testing me after every game?” Beckham asked a reporter.
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Cleveland.com’s Hayden Grove obliged.
“(The NFL) made me come in Monday when we had an off day,” Beckham told Cleveland.com. “Had a drug test. Made me come in Thursday after the game. Had another drug test. Every week, twice a week.
“Nobody is getting tested like me. I know people who didn’t get tested for five months in the offseason, and I’m getting tested every time.”
The nature of random testing ensures that some will get tested more than others. But Beckham, who’s also accused the league of targeting him for uniform violations, feels sure that the league has him in its sights.
Beckham leveled similar accusation in 2018
Beckham also accused the league of targeting him in 2018 when he was a member of the New York Giants.
Walkin in today to my 997,546 “””RANDOM””” PED drug test today. It’s actually funny how I “randomly” get tested every other week. Dear @NFL please stop sending these people, ur takin away from meeting times and film... thanks #ThisAintWhatYaLookinFor #ThisIsBeyondMeeeee
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) September 20, 2018
NFL responds
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy responded to Beckham’s accusation in an interview with Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. McCarthy didn’t address Beckham specifically, but claimed that computers, not people, make decisions on who is tested.
“Neither the union or the league are involved in the random selection of players to be tested," McCarthy told Cleveland.com. “By means of a computer program, the independent administrator determines which 10 players will be randomly selected each week.’’
Who writes the computer program and how it’s written is not clear. Nor is the independent administrator’s role.
Beckham’s claim echoes Eric Reid’s
Beckham isn’t the first player to accuse the NFL of targeting him for random drug tests.
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid complained last season that he was tested seven times in 11 weeks, and believed he was targeted for his role in supporting Colin Kaepernick and his collusion case against the NFL.
The league and the NFLPA released a joint statement declaring that there was “no evidence of targeting” in response to Reid’s accusation.
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