Opinion:
The NFL's Randomized Drug Testing: Correlated with Success? 

Drug testing is no stranger to the NFL, they test twice as hard as the Olympics. Players are tested by procedure once a year but can be expected to be randomly drug tested at any point in the season, up to 3 times a week, 24 times a year. The NFL is expected to drug test 10 players randomly every week, generated by their algorithm. However, it is worth questioning how random this testing is when gifted athletes have a breakout game and are being tested after their achievements. 

DK’s physical attributes, such as height and wingspan, ranked him on average in the 92nd percentile, even placing him two times in the 98th percentile! Metcalf’s unique physical dominance has given him a huge advantage at the professional level and has landed him several opportunities. 

In 2023, Metcalf not only participated in the All-Star Celebrity NBA game but was awarded the game’s MVP for absolutely dominating the game. He scored 20 points, and 10 rebounds, and showed off his athletic abilities by very clearly being the fastest player on the court and going airborne to make several shots that went viral on social media. With an already recorded 40.5-inch vertical jump, it seems like a no-brainer his skills would translate from one sport to another, the NFL thought otherwise. A mere day went by and Metcalf was already on the hot seat– the toilet.

Not only can drug testing seem suspicious after a big game, but frequency raises just as much of an eyebrow. 2020 became quarterback Baker Mayfield’s 3rd season with the Cleveland Browns, and he had something to prove. The Browns had not seen a playoff game since 2002, and except in 2007, had also not seen the light outside of dead last in their division in a painfully long 18 years. 

Luckily, Mayfield plays with a lot of determination in his game. League-wide he is considered a dog; with his fierce competitive nature, he is not afraid to get in anyone's face. This is exactly what Cleveland needed to breathe their organization back to life, as Baker was able to flip the script and bring home the team’s first playoff win since 1994, one of the longest playoff win droughts in NFL history. 

Interestingly enough, Mayfield took to the Pardon My Take podcast to share that, “When we were really, really playing well with the Browns, I got tested probably 11 times that year.” How could this even be possible? Including a team’s practice squad, there are roughly 72 eligible players to be tested each week, and there are 32 teams in the NFL. To remind you, only up to 10 players can be randomly selected per week, and the 2020 season consisted of only 17 weeks. The odds of this occurring by chance is extremely improbable, and seems as though they were just waiting to catch Baker in the wrong. 

It seems as though NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, might be trying to tell the players that they are so good at what they do, that he simply cannot believe them. As you can imagine this subject sparks a lot of controversy across players in the league, and they are not afraid to voice their frustrations. 

Barkley explained that “[he] was gonna hit a double spin,” but aborted it last second. After spinning around linebacker Devin Lloyd, he noticed the next defender going low, his body took over, and halfway through the spin he just jumped. Completely by chance, Barkley not only has one of the most unique situational reflexes but even lands the jump; something not all players can accomplish when facing forwards, let alone backward. 

Podcast co-host AJ Greene adds, “As a football player you can know, he didn’t mean to do that.” And the tape doesn’t lie, watching back slowly, you can see a slight hesitation followed by a beautifully executed improvisation. This instinct doesn’t come out of thin air, it takes a smart athlete to be able to pull this off, who is the NFL to question Barkley, especially with a resume like his?

These are just a few instances where players have been questioned, it certainly can seem a little suspicious when you see the common denominator across these stories is honest success. But alas, this is the NFL’s job, and they have every right to test players, whether they have suspicions or it is random. 

So now I leave it to you, do you think it is valid for players to question the randomness of the tests? If you were a player, would you be uncomfortable with the frequent speculation the NFL is allowed to have over you? Do you think all of these success stories followed by drug tests are by chance, or by choice?

Sources:

• https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

• https://operations.nfl.com/journey-to-the-nfl/the-next-generation-of-nfl-stars/nfl-scouting-combine/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20the%20NFL,so%20players%20attend%20each%20year.

• https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/dk-metcalf

• https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/news-buccaneers-baker-mayfield-narrates-experience-series-drug-tests-nfl

• https://nflpa.com/active-players/drug-policies

• https://youtu.be/oYZ49BDj-Xk?si=eCW3R3glFZlmZ9_L