Falcons' Matt Bosher given 'random' drug test after laying massive hit vs. Panthers
In Sunday’s 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher laid one of the most brutal hits of the season on a kickoff.
Following a game-tying Falcons field goal in the second quarter, Kenjon Barner took back a kickoff to the 35-yard line before he was leveled by Bosher, who flexed and stood over the 195-pound return man.
After the game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the league rewarded Bosher with a random drug test.
The NFL tests 10 players from each team every week with the 53 players from the active roster, 10 practice squad players and those on the injured reserve or reserve lists are eligible. Names are supposed to be picked randomly by a computer program, but there has been plenty of evidence that the selections are less than random.
The NFL has targeted punters after big hits before
One of the most notable examples of strange random drug tests comes from former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee. In near identical circumstances, McAfee laid a massive hit on Denver Broncos return man Trindon Holliday in a 2013 game and was “randomly” selected for a drug test the next day.
The NFL has given McAfee other suspiciously random tests later too. He got a drug test a day after tweeting a pair of 420 jokes in 2016. He also received a drug test just two days after booming a 67-yard punt against the Buffalo Bills in a preseason game months later.
McAfee never failed a test, so it is good to know that punters can make tackles, crack jokes and boom punts without the use of illegal drugs.
The NFL looks like it still targets players
Punters aren’t the only victims targeted for drug tests, as one of the NFL’s most outspoken players has received an abnormally high number of tests.
Eric Reid, who for three years has kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality, has already been given seven random drug tests during the first 11 weeks he has been with the Panthers. A former first-round pick and Pro Bowler, Reid remained unsigned into the regular season and has an ongoing lawsuit against the league.
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