More on suspensions
Here is the notebook I wrote on UCLA suspending OLs Micah Reed and Scott Glicksberg and defensive tackle Jess Ward for Saturday's game against Oregon State for failing drug tests.
It is not a decision made by Rick Neuheisel, but rather the athletic department's policy. According to UCLA's student-athlete handbook, the decision is not left to the coach. It is a department policy.
Also, a suspension means this is the third time a player failed a drug test. A fourth failure means the player will no longer be eligible to play, and his/her scholarship will not be renewed.
Below is UCLA's guidelines for drug testing:
3. TESTING PROTOCOL:
A. A series of random tests are administered
throughout the year.
B. If a student-athlete has a positive test,
then he/she is required to have a minimum
of one evaluative counseling session by
Student Psychological Services (SPS).
C. Any positive test counts cumulatively
throughout the student-athlete's UCLA athletic
career..
D. Individuals with previous positive tests,
as well as random student-athletes are
tested. A "no-show" is defined as a student-
athlete not reporting for a scheduled
drug test. No-shows are treated as positive
tests.
E. On a first positive test, only the physician
responsible for the drug testing program
will be notified.
F. Following any positive test the studentathlete
has the right for a retest of that
specimen.
G. If a positive result occurs a second time
in a student-athlete's UCLA athletic career,
then the student-athlete is required to go to
SPS for a minimum of three counseling sessions.
H. If a third positive test occurs, the Head
Coach and the Associate Athletic Director
are immediately notified and the studentathlete
is suspended from competition for
the next contest. Three counseling sessions
are required.
I. A fourth positive test results in immediate
suspension from all participation in
intercollegiate athletics at UCLA. The
individual's scholarship will not be renewed
for the following year.
the 3rd time! wow.
You have to be kidding me! Failed 3 times, that certainly shows the level of committment. So how many have failed 1 and 2 times? Maybe it is time to tighen the policies?
Brian - could this not be the case that it is a first or second offense and Coach is being proactive in suspending them now instead of the mandated third offense suspension?
If not perhaps it is time to clean house of any bad apples??
Rumor has it that it is pot. What are these kids thinking? Maybe they are trying to donate two more scholies to our 2009 class?
No shows are excusable in some regards since when they call you, you have to go in right that second and take the test but I don't think that this would be the case with all three. This will be an example for the team that these activities will not be allowed.
Disappointing for two 5th year Sr. and a 4th year Jr.
This shouldn't be as big of a surprise as it seems to be for most people. It happens all over the country. When a player gets suspended for "violating team rules" it is usually this sort of thing.
hth.
Brian, I think you misspelled the headline for this post. Shouldn't it be "Moron Suspensions"?
These guys are an embarrassment to the university, an embarrassment to the football team, an embarrassment to the City of Los Angeles. They knew the rules when they signed their letters of intent and accepted THOUSANDS of dollars worth of FREE TUITION and associated other neat goodies that the rest of us don't get, not to mention the privilege of wearing a UCLA football jersey. Also, let's not forget football is a team game, and they are letting their teammates down. To say this information should not be published is idiotic. These are not 12-year-olds. You stop being a kid when you go off to college, when Mommy and Daddy are no longer there to wake you up 5-6 times before you crawl out of bed in the morning, then make your lunch and drive you to school, and kiss you goodbye ... these are young adults, not kids, we are talking about here, and they have rules to live by, just like you-me-everyone else. It's time they grew up.
Maybe it was medicinal marijuana to help them after getting abused on the field every Saturday.
UCLA 78 is 100% correct.
The coach doesn't even get notified after the first positive test, maybe not even after the second.
That kinda sucks that the coaching staff isn't notified until the horse is nearly out of the corral. I bet if Coach N knew about this earlier, something would have been done to try and keep #3 from ever occurring, even if #1 and #2 were pre-2008. University rules seem like they are blindsiding all Bruin coaching staffs to a large extent. Now, if any of these guys just misses #4 for some reason, they're gone.
While this is terrible news...it may explain why no one can remember their blocking assignments.
Perhaps it was Oxycontin, to numb the pain of being a LOSER...
It is hard to believe that illegal activity like this is taking place on the campus of UCLA. I am hopeful that Coach Rick Neuheisel will do the right thing and expel these suspects after a full legal hearing where the suspect have a chance to explain themselves and defend their smoking of grass.
In addition, maybe Coach Neuheisal should talk to Coach Pete Carroll about certain procedural safeguards that Coach Pete Carroll has in place across town in order to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
It is hard to recruit players of character no matter what school you are at. Just look at the bufoons from California University who were arrested last week after commiting a burglary.
LAWYER JOHN
LAWYER JOHN:
LMFAO. Did we just get an ethics lecture from a Trojie? HAHAHAHA. Maybe you Trojies should smoke more weed. Maybe this would cut down on the Rapes, Assaults, and Shootings on your FB team. Unfortunately, this would do nothing to cut down the NCAA rules violations and the cheating in the classroom and in recruiting.
Maybe LAWYER JOHN can represent these suspects during their "full legal hearing". HAHAHAHA. Considering how good Trojie Attorneys are at getting their FB player bretheren off the hook, I would probably hire him. Ironic that an attorney is giving us an ethics lecture. Isn't that an oxymoron or just a moron?
Exactly what "procedural safeguards" does Coach Pete Carroll have in place across town in order to ensure that nothing like this happens again? Does he hide or rather borrow their bongs?
BruinFaithful said, "Exactly what "procedural safeguards" does Coach Pete Carroll have in place across town in order to ensure that nothing like this happens again?"
Vials of "clean" urine, in a bottle warmer set to 98.6°F, in all of the bathrooms where drug tests are taken. It is small actions like these that kee SUC players on the ethical up and up
Seriously People,
If there's any truth to the interviews a number of NBA and NFL players have given then professional and amateur athletes across the country smoke marijuana to numb some of the physical punishment they take on a weekly basis.