Eric Reid Opens His Stocking
I loved how new NFL owner David “BRASS BALLS” Tepper went ahead and signed Eric Reid when his team needed safety help, ignoring any anthem-related hooplah and picking up a decent B-level player where his team needed one. It actually caused far less ruckus than I anticipated. Reid has continued to be outspoken about his protests but he hasn’t gotten slammed or torn apart as much as expected. Obviously Reid isn’t Colin Kaepernick but for essentially being probably the second biggest name in that whole mess it seems pretty good that’s he’s been able to keep his job comfortably even despite a couple of rough penalties he’s committed.
But the fact that the NFL has been trying to subtly sabotage the dude by constantly testing him for banned substances at a much higher rate than anyone else is scummy as shit. The dude isn’t even the controversy magnet Kaep is, but they are still trying to erase him and make him look bad. The NFL has never been particularly good at pretending their random drug tests are actually random (It’s a locker-room meme that if a Kicker/Punter makes a physical play they are guaranteed to get “randomly selected”) but this seems like a new low. Especially since Reid has been nothing but clean each time. The powers in charge can’t get rid of him or blackball him like they can do with Kaep or use him like they did with Malcolm Jenkins, so they are trying to eliminate him this way. Just let the guy play you butts.
It bothers me because he isn’t even causing any meaningful distraction. The only time he’s been in the news cycle recently was because he pointed out this bullshit. He’s just there, doing his thing. Let the guy play ball.
CREATOR NOTE: Not only have I been travelling between many homes this past week, but I’ve caught a stupid jerk cold that won’t let me breathe. I have no idea when I’ll be able to get back on a regular schedule.
Of course, if someone is supposed to have a stocking with tartan patterns, a hat and a fancy belt, it’s gotta be good old Cam Newton lol.
Anyway, to the subject of today’s comic. Not only those ‘random’ substance tests, but Reid has also been subject to far harsher scrutiny than the average player on the field too, so the refs are somewhat in it as well.
Exhibit A: Panthers@Steelers, which coincidentally also marks the point where the Panthers’ downfall to their ‘no back-to-back winning seasons’ curse(http://www.thedrawplay.com/comic/the-panthers-vs-back-to-back-winning-seasons/) started. Big Ben started scrambling forward and he made a gain of like 15 yards, then as he began sliding Reid comes in on a tackle attempt and his helmet just barely grazes Ben’s shoulder or something. The replay later seemed pretty inconclusive on whether there was even any actual contact at all. Cue whistles, flags, 15-yard personal foul/unsportsmanlike conduct call(which placed the Steelers on the CAR 6-yard line or something, with which of course they’d score a TD immediately afterwards because Ben was having one of those perfect days where nothing can go wrong), and then REID IS EJECTED FROM THE FIELD EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, DESPITE THAT BEING THE FIRST CALL OF THE SORT HE GOT IN THE GAME. What the hell, refs?! Doesn’t the rulebook explicitly say you only get ejected if you get that call twice?! Even the booth called them out on it, it was ridiculous. And it was even when Reid and Big Ben were shaking hands after the play, Ben was clearly cool with what just happened. I mean, wow, that’s going a bit too far, isn’t it?!
NFL, I’m not a Kaep and Reid supporter. For the record, I believe they were and are free to express their opinions as they did, though doing so on the field in a blatantly attention-drawing matter is a bit problematic in terms of work ethics, not the ‘no respect to the flag etc.’ manner a lot of his detractors argue. In the same vein, I also believe that the teams are free to shun them(not counting the ‘collusion’ argument, which is so ridiculous on principle that I don’t believe it will ever hold water) if they won’t want to deal with the media drama and he doesn’t suddenly offer them good chances of winning. But if they actually got signed, like with Reid and the Panthers, then as Dave said, quote, JUST LET THE GUY PLAY, YOU BUTTS.
Sometimes I wonder whether the NFL is so, so removed from the average person that they have no idea on what generates bad publicity. Here, they’re making themselves look bad for absolutely no reason and raking up the issue. They’re inflaming the problem again when it was gradually fading away, just like this time(http://www.thedrawplay.com/comic/the-nfls-baffling-inability-to-not-make-things-worse/). It’s ridiculous.
Anyway… that post was long, so since I got two questions for you, Dave, might as well make it a little double-post since those don’t have to do with today’s comic.
1) Are you going to do the ‘Bandwagon Guide’ thing this season, too? Those(plus your posts under the comic) are pretty darn fun/interesting, and while you seem to be having a bad time, being sick and all after being busy for the holidays(by the way, get well soon, man), won’t those be easier to make for you since they’re mostly text instead of forcing you to actually draw stuff for us? I’m already anticipating what your takes on all 12 teams will be(except the Patriots, it’s obviously going to be same old, same old with their space).
2) Have you got any ideas for the Money Wars saga? At first glance, it seems that, for the first time, there will be expulsions from our merry group as some of the guys look to be at the end of/facing getting cut from their contracts. In particular, Tannehill, Bort, and last but not least, Dear Leader Joe Flacco. Are you going to let them stay out of old times’ sake, or are you going to prepare some hilarious denouement for each of them the moment they get ousted from their teams?
1. For sure, that’s a fun annual tradition
2. Nothing yet, gonna cross that bridge when I come to it
dave, take your time! you owe us nothing. you owe your family and yourself everything.
limey ocean fella, thank you for exhaustively documenting how reid’s been effed with. (outside of guillotine politics) i… i… think maybe tepper might be okay
When it comes to the Patriots, even saying ‘same old’ is old news
I was talking to someone about this exact subject, and he said this wasnt random, but that actually Reid is taking one for the team. The Panthers know that he will pass every test, and they choose a pool of players to be “Randomly” tested.
This is pretty standard behaviour amongst teams in the league, which is why we have so few positive pee tests. Players have to be really really stupid to actually get caught with the team looking out for them. There’s nothing Random about the tests, but the league continues to pretend they are.
That is… actually way worse. Might as well not even have the tests if you’re deliberately avoiding testing the guys who might fail them.
hold on wait what? forgive me, but i didn’t know abput this. the teams get to pick who gets randomly selected? doesn’t that make it… non random?
I know we constatntly rag on the NFL for the dumb shit they pull, but giving the guy suing them for collusion the evidence he needs is so stupid I have a hard time believing even the NFL would be that stupid.
I feel your pain Dave. Been down sick for 3 days now. Stupid jerk cold.
“It’s a locker-room meme that if a Kicker/Punter makes a physical play they are guaranteed to get ‘randomly selected'”
Wasn’t Bosher tested after laying out the Panthers’ kick returner?
Yes. Yes he was.
I mean, there shouldn’t be much ruckus with Eric Reid, other than his beef with Malcom Jenkins. I only realized he was even part of the whole anthem thing when I saw a bunch of news articles saying he hadn’t signed yet.
While I do not agree with Reid on a whole lot, it is complete and utter horse shit that he is getting tested as often as he is. Implement actual random testing or just test everyone every week
fyi, the “random” part in “random drug testing” refers to when the test is administered, not who it is administered to or how often.
Weird hot take here – ever since Skip Bayless left his life, Stephen A. Smith has become bareble and less insane. Not good, but bareble.