FanHouse Report: BCS Football Program Drug Policies Revealed

Clemson, Ole Miss, Purdue and UCLA are the only universities among the nation's automatic-qualifying Bowl Championship Series conference schools that do not require a member of its football team to miss any playing time after two positive drug tests, a FanHouse investigative study discovered.

However, six universities – Baylor, Cincinnati, Georgia, Kentucky, Miami and Virginia Tech -- have a much stricter policy, suspending its players at least one game for a first positive drug test.

Those are just some of the major differences revealed in a FanHouse study into the nation's biggest football programs and how they deal with disciplining their players for illegal use of street drugs, such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.

Of the 68 automatic-qualifying BCS programs, including soon-to-be BCS programs TCU and Utah, FanHouse obtained the substance abuse policies of 60 universities through public records requests or from the school's official websites. Each school's policy is as unique as its school colors and mascot, with each program possessing a different philosophy on how to punish a multiple-time illegal drug user.

FanHouse's study only concerns street or recreational drugs. The NCAA conducts tests for performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, and those penalties are the same for every NCAA member institution: a first positive test for steroids is a one-year suspension; a second positive test ends a student-athlete's NCAA eligibility for the remainder of his career.

The testing procedures, policy and punishment for street drugs is up to each individual school and Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe believes it should remain that way.

"Recreational (drug use) doesn't get into the competition, the competitive piece," Beebe told FanHouse. "I think that it's better as an institutional decision within each school's own policy."

While nearly all of the drug policies obtained by FanHouse recommended or required first-time offenders to participate in counseling, FanHouse's study found several interesting – and strikingly different – philosophies on the severity of dealing with multiple-time drug offenders.

Such as:

• At Purdue and UCLA, a student-athlete does not miss any games after two positive tests and only misses one game for a third positive test. By comparison, a student-athlete at 31 of the 60 schools is dismissed from the football program for a third positive test. Purdue also offers this caveat: if a student-athlete goes 18 months since his last positive test, he may revert back to his previous number of positive tests – in essence earning up to five chances before dismissal.

• At Clemson, no games are missed for two positive tests. The main punishment is the student-athlete must perform a minimum of 30 hours community service.

• At Ole Miss, a student-athlete with a second positive drug test also doesn't miss any playing time, but loses "certain privileges such as complimentary player or family game tickets." A third positive test results in a three-game suspension.

Eight other programs – Florida State, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Texas, Texas A&M and Virginia – did not specify how many games, if any, a student-athlete misses for a second-positive test, with some of those schools leaving the decision up to the head coach and/or athletic director.

At Florida, Illinois and Purdue, student-athletes at those respective schools may have up to five positive drug tests before being dismissed. Those are easily the nation's most lenient policies, at least as far as allowing a student-athlete the most chances.

"I would argue a school is at a competitive disadvantage (that allows five positive tests before dismissal)," Beebe said.

Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach also is among those who favor stricter drug policies. He said last week that giving student-athletes "three strikes" or three positive tests before they are dismissed from a program is too many.

"Recreational (drug use) doesn't get into the competition, the competitive piece. I think that it's better as an institutional decision within each school's own policy."
-- Dan Beebe, Big 12 commissioner "I've never agreed with it," Leach said on his Sirius/XM College Football Playbook show. "It holds you hostage (as a coach) after two positive tests."

Utah, which moves from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 Conference next year, has one of the nation's toughest policies. The Utes are the nation's only school that suspends a student-athlete for one year after a second positive test.

Besides Utah, the universities with the harshest penalties for a second positive test are Auburn, Duke, Kentucky, Mississippi State and North Carolina. Those schools suspend a student-athlete 50 percent of their games for a second positive test.

Utah, Auburn, Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina also are among the nation's 31 BCS schools that dismiss a student-athlete after a third positive test.

Of the six automatic-qualifying BCS conferences, at least half of the schools in each of the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences allow more than three positive tests before dismissing a player.

None of the nation's BCS programs dismiss a player with less than three positive drug tests. Until 2005, South Carolina dismissed a student-athlete for a second positive test. However, before the 2005-06 school year, the Gamecocks' substance abuse policy was changed, requiring four positive tests before a student-athlete was dismissed. The Gamecocks' 2009-10 substance abuse policy now indicates a student-athlete is dismissed after three positive tests.

Iowa, which recently admitted some flaws in its drug testing procedures in that a number of student-athletes likely had "gotten around the tests," actually has one of the nation's most common substance abuse policies: no games are missed for a first positive, 10 percent of games suspended for a second positive and dismissal for a third positive.

Some schools' substance abuse policies also consider a drug-related or DUI arrest/conviction as a positive test. Some schools also levy suspensions for alcohol abuse and/or tobacco use.

All schools' policies indicated if the suspension could not be completed in the current season, it would carry over to the next season until the suspension was fulfilled. Also student-athletes who were suspended during a redshirt season must serve their suspension during the following season.

FanHouse Investigative Report

The following is the minimum required number of games suspensions for each of the 68 automatic-qualifying BCS conference football programs based on a (1) first-positive test for recreational drugs; (2) second-positive test; (3) third-positive test; (4) fourth-positive test and (5) fifth-positive test. All drug policies are for the 2009-10 or 2010-11 school years obtained through public record requests by FanHouse or from the school's official website.

ATLANTIC COAST

Boston College: (1) none; (2) two weeks; (3) one year.

Clemson: (1) none; (2) none; (3) dismissal. Note: Clemson policy indicates athlete must perform 15-30 hours of community service for a first positive and a minimum of 30 hours for a second positive.

Duke: (1) none; (2) 50 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Florida State: (1) none; (2) unspecified suspension; (3) dismissal. Note: length of suspension for second positive determined by the school's substance abuse committee and "influenced by the length of the season."

Georgia Tech: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

Maryland: (1) none; (2) two weeks; (3) one year.

Miami: (1) one game; (2) two games; (3) dismissal.

North Carolina: (1) none; (2) 50 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

N.C. State: (1) none; (2) 20 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Virginia: (1) none; (2) suspension determined by head coach; (3) indefinite suspension.

Virginia Tech: (1) 10 percent of games; (2) 33 percent of games; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

BIG EAST

Cincinnati: (1) 10 percent of games; (2) 20 percent of games; (3) dismissal

UConn: (1) none; (2) 30-to-60 days; (3) one year; (4) dismissal

Louisville: (1) none; (2) "may result in suspension;" (3) "mandatory suspension." Note: athlete with second positive "may be subject to suspension, length determined by athletic director." Third positive requires "mandatory suspension," length determined by athletic director

Pittsburgh: Although a public university, Pittsburgh is not required to respond to public record requests and refused to provide policy to FanHouse.

Rutgers: (1) none: (2) two weeks; (3) one year; (4) dismissal. Note: athlete with a first positive may be suspended up to two weeks at athletic director's discretion.

South Florida: (1) none; (2) 20 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

TCU: (1) none; (2) 20 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

West Virginia: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of season; (3) dismissal. Note: athlete with a first positive is suspended an indefinite amount of time until they produce a negative test result.

BIG TEN

Illinois: (1) none; (2) 1/12th of regular season games; (3) 1/4th of regular season games; (4) one year.

Indiana: (1) none; (2) one game; (3) dismissal.

Iowa: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Michigan: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) one year.

Michigan State: (1) none; (2) 30 days; (3) one year.

Minnesota: (1) none; (2) 20 percent of games; (3) one year.

Nebraska: (1) none; (2) suspension determined by head coach; (3) dismissal.

Ohio State: (1) none; (2) two weeks; (3) one year.

Penn State: (1) none; (2) seven days; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

Purdue: (1) none; (2) none; (3) 10 percent of games; (4) "may be dismissed" with athletic director making decision.

Wisconsin: (1) none; (2) 30 days; (3) dismissal.

BIG 12

Baylor: (1) one game; (2) 10 percent of games plus one game; (3) dismissal.

Iowa State: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games: (3) dismissal.

Kansas: (1) none; (2) whichever is less: two games or 10 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Kansas State: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Missouri: (1) none; (2) seven days; (3) dismissal.

Oklahoma: (1) none; (2) one game; (3) "expulsion from athletic program." Note: athlete with three positives may be reinstated "upon completion of a qualified drug rehabilitation program."

Oklahoma State: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) 50 percent of games; (4) dismissal.

Texas: (1) none; (2) "if suspended, length of suspension determined by athletic director;" (3) dismissal.

Texas A&M: (1) none; (2) "possible suspension;" (3) possible dismissal.

Texas Tech: (1) none; (2) one game; (3) dismissal.

PAC-12

Arizona: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

Arizona State: (1) none; (2) 25 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Cal: (1) none; (2) two weeks; (3) one year.

Colorado: (1) none; (2) 20 percent of games; (3) one year.

Oregon: (1) none; (2) length of suspension, if any, not indicated; (3) dismissal.

Oregon State: (1) none; (2) length of suspension, if any, not indicated; (3) dismissal. Note: policy says student "may be expelled" for second positive, but doesn't indicate a specific length if suspended.

Utah: (1) none; (2) one year; (3) dismissal.

UCLA: (1) none; (2) none; (3) one game; (4) dismissal.

Washington: (1) none; (2) 15 percent of games; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

Washington State: (1) none; (2) 30 days; (3) one year.

SOUTHEASTERN

Alabama: (1) none; (2) 15 percent of games; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

Arkansas: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) 50 percent of games; (4) dismissal.

Auburn: (1) none; (2) 50 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Florida: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) 20 percent of games; (4) 50 percent of games; (5) dismissal.

Georgia: (1) 10 percent of games; (2) 50 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Kentucky: (1) 10 percent of games; (2) 50 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

LSU: (1) none; (2) 15 percent of games; (3) one year.

Ole Miss: (1) none; (2) none; (3) three games.

Mississippi State: (1) none; (2) 50 percent of games; (3) one year; (4) dismissal.

South Carolina: (1) none; (2) 25 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Tennessee: (1) none; (2) 10 percent of games; (3) dismissal.

Private universities not required to respond to public record requests that would not voluntarily provide drug policy to FanHouse: Notre Dame, Northwestern, USC, Stanford, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest.

Brett McMurphy is a national college football writer for FanHouse. Contact him at brettmcmurphy@gmail.com and please follow at Twitter.com/BrettmcmurphY