Drug testing has become a part of the NFL, with players getting tested for the smallest of reasons, including an erratic enhancement in performance and a sudden growth in physique. Such frequent testing has become quite annoying for most players, as Baker Mayfield revealed how he had to endure 11 whopping urine tests throughout 2020.
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The then-Browns QB sat down for an informal conversation on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, where he opened up about drug tests. Although the NFL claims that the testing is always ‘random’, the QB was suspicious of the timing. He then went on to reveal the absurd number of times he was tested in 2020, saying,
“When we were in 2020 oddly enough. When we were playing well with the Browns I got tested probably 11 times that year.”
While drug testing is a norm in the NFL, 11 times is a little excessive. The league has standardized that all tests should be random and a player can only be tested 6 times during the offseason. Still, with the way the rules are penned, the league has the authority to test a single player 24 times throughout an entire year.
Even though the QB found the frequent tests to be a little weird, he was never bothered by them. For one, Mayfield insists that he wasn’t a physical specimen that warrants 11 tests. And on top of that, he was happy with the way the Browns were performing at the time.
Nevertheless, when speaking about the drug testing process, Mayfield mentioned how the situation could get awkward with the person conducting it.
Mayfield’s awkwardness behind the drug tests
While Mayfield didn’t seem to have a problem with the fact that he was tested multiple times, he described the awkwardness of the process. The hosts asked him what would happen if there were times he couldn’t deposit urine for the test. To this, the QB explained that the deposit had to be made at a certain time. He also had to ensure there wasn’t too much dilution in the deposited urine.
Interestingly, the awkward situation arose when Mayfield couldn’t make a deposit. Whatever the reason, Mayfield explained that there were times when he just couldn’t produce urine for a drug test. This led to an awkward situation as the tester had to patiently wait until the QB could urinate.
All in all, Mayfield found the entire process a little ridiculous and suspicious. However, the QB always passed his tests. In fact, with the NFL now cracking down harder and testing an absurd number of times, it remains to be seen if any star will be caught for using banned substances.
