A day after affidavits were released stating that TCU football might have a widespread drug problem, a source confirmed to the Fort Worth Star Telegram that TCU is more or less in the clear.
According to the paper, five players failed a pop drug test launched by coach Gary Patterson on Feb. 1 and 11 more had trace amounts of drugs that were within the margin of error. Patterson decided to spring the drug test on unsuspecting players after a high-level recruit told him that he wouldn't play at TCU because of drug use by players.
Possible team-wide drug use came to light Wednesday after four TCU players - linebacker Tanner Brock, safety Devin Johnson, tackle Ty Horn, and defensive tackle D.J. Yendrey - were arrested for selling drugs and subsequently dismissed from the team. All four players face expulsion if found guilty.
In the arrest affidavits, Brock told an undercover officer about the surprise drug test and that he believed 60 players failed. Johnson told another undercover cop that 82 players failed. Both numbers raised eyebrows about whether there was widespread drug use within the TCU football program though the university chancellor Victor Boschini said, "I don't think it's a football problem." The university also issued a statement questioning the credibility of four drug dealers.
"The comments about failed drug tests made by the separated players in affidavits cannot be verified simply because they were made in the context of a drug buy."
It is unknown whether four of the five players that failed the drug test were the four arrested.
As I've stated multiple times, Gary Patterson has run a clean ship during his tenure with the Horned Frogs and something like widespread drug use in his program was not likely to be missed. It's probably fair to say that every program has challenges when it comes to drug use. Even the Fort Worth Star-Telegram quoted a former player, who noted the same thing.
"I think weed in general is prevalent on college campuses," the player said. "A lot of students look at it just like alcohol."
There's no word whether TCU plans to officially release the results of the drug test.
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Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham