Odell Beckham Jr. is the latest NFL player to cast doubt on how "random" the NFL's drug testing policy really is.
Following Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns wide receiver claimed that he's being targeted by the NFL via random drug tests. Beckham stated that the NFL makes him submit to two drug tests a week.
"[The NFL] made me come in Monday when we had an off day. Had a drug test," Beckham said to Cleveland.com. "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."
OBJ has also voiced that he's been unfairly scrutinized when it his playing attire. During a game against the Denver Broncos earlier this month, the NFL informed Jarvis Landry and Beckham that they had to change their cleats have halftime or sit out the rest of the contest.
Per the NFL rule book, "a player may wear shoes that are black, white or any constitutional team color, or any combination of black, white and a constitutional team color."
Beckham was wearing low Joker-inspired cleats while Landry had on a pair of all gold cleats, but this wasn't the first time Beckham or Landry have worn flashy cleats nor are they the only players to do so. In his post-game interview, Landry explained that Nike—which signed an eight-year partnership with the NFL in 2018—approved their cleats and that the league is merely finding a reason to penalize them.
"I don't really understand," Landry said. "When we went up to the Nike headquarters to start game-planning for throughout the season, and our uniforms and things like that, these things get cleared by the league before Nike can start processing the shoe. So Nike processed the shoe and thinking, I guess, they got the green light from the NFL, so I didn't see it as being a problem or a distraction to anybody. I'm just trying to play football."
