The NFL is the Trump administration of American sports leagues. Despite being almost 70 percent black, the NFL ownership doesnβt care about black people. They bend policies, hire accused domestic abusers, and make no bones about doing whatever they want with impunity. Sounds a lot like the current administration, doesnβt it?
So either Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, one of Colin Kaepernickβs closest allies in his fight against the unjust killings of African Americans by police and the first player to kneel alongside Kap when the two were teammates with the San Francisco 49ers, is either the unluckiest player in the player in the NFL, or the NFL is targeting Reid for speaking out.
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After Monday nightβs game against the New Orleans Saints, Reid returned to his locker to find a note saying that heβs been βrandomlyβ selected to take another drug test, marking his seventh drug test in 11 weeks.
Yahoo Sports breaks down the probability that Reidβs drug tests are βrandomβ:
Letβs go through some numbers that we first dove into when Reid received his fifth drug test of the season. There were 72 players on the Panthersβ roster eligible for drug testing. NFL drug-testing policy dictates that 10 players from each team, supposedly chosen randomly by a computer, are tested each week of the season.
Reid has been with Carolina for 11 weeks and says he has been drug-tested seven times, though one of those would have been his mandatory annual test that is basically part of his physical. That means six positive results out of 11 chances on odds that work out to 72 divided by 10.
Using a cumulative binomial probability calculator, those numbers work out to a 0.17 percent chance of Reid getting randomly selected at least six times in 11 chances, according to the NFLβs rules. Thatβs a 1-in-588 chance. Reid would have a better chance at correctly guessing a coin flip nine times in a row.
Iβm sure that Reidβs seventh drug test in 11 weeks had nothing to do with the fact that heβs still kneeling during the national anthem or that his game cleats just so happened to celebrate protests throughout Americaβs history and featured the quote: βIf not us, who? If not now when.β
To understand why Reidβs βfree black manβ posture and protest cleats irritate the NFL, one needs to look no further than the Trump administration, as both are dictatorships disguised as democracies.
The NFL is a mirror of Trumpian thinking that bands together to form an evil orange spray-tanned Voltron of racism and good ole boy thinking. Free-thinking black men donβt survive in this land. Make no mistake about it, Reid is being punished for his outspokenness. Heβs being punished for kneeling next to his friend and standing up for what he believes in. Heβs being punished with the only weapons that the NFL can form against him, which are the inconvenient drug tests.
Like the NFL, The Trump administration doesnβt like being challenged. Remember CNN reporter Jim Acosta and βkarate chop-gateβ in which the White House attempted to have him banned for daring to challenge the president? Remember how Trump βrandomlyβ decided to take on Amazonβs deal with the US Postal Service, or how he said Saturday Night Liveβs comedy should be βtestedβ in court?
Thatβs whatβs happening here.
The NFL, much like the Trump administration, operates with impunity. Until a judge hands them their ass, they are basically a sports version of todayβs White House. The only difference is that black folks en masse donβt support the Trump administration but love them some football no matter how badly the owners of the team treat their players.
So Reid will submit himself to another urine analysis that will show heβs not violating the NFL drug policy, the NFL owners will continue to act as if itβs all random, and black folks wonβt stop watching the NFL. The current administration will still build the wall and continue to criminalize skin color. Itβs all cyclical, and the only mistake that both Reid and Kaepernick have made is daring to try to break the cycle. How dare either of these men be bold enough to speak up and speak out?
During slavery, masters would beat their slaves publicly in front of other slaves as a show of force. It was also a chance for those slaves who were even considering speaking up or running away to witness what would await them should they attempt to leave. Trump publicly lashed Jim Acosta in front of a room full of reporters, and Reid came back to his locker to find a note telling him that heβd been randomly selected for the seventh time in just 11 weeks. This isnβt accidental.
But I know youβre tired of talking about all this when your βSkins are still in the playoff hunt.
Roger Goodell, the NFL, and the powers who seek to silence black protest all thank you for your support.
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