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Auburn statement to ESPN on drug story
Posted on 4/4/13 at 7:54 pm
Posted on 4/4/13 at 7:54 pm
Per Phillip Marshall at 24/7:
Following is the statement Auburn provided to ESPN in response to its story on synthetic Marijuana use:
After a thorough internal review, the Auburn Athletics Department believes many of the allegations made by the individuals interviewed for this story are baseless and inaccurate.
As the District Attorney told a jury in open court a year ago, Auburn football and Auburn's policies had nothing to do with what happened the night that four former football players were arrested for armed robbery. Unfortunately, the defendants in this case are simply facing theconsequences of their actions.
The facts clearly demonstrate that the Auburn Athletics Department and the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics acted appropriately and aggressively in response to the growing threat of synthetic marijuana during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Auburn Athletics began testing its student-athletes for synthetic marijuana three days after a test became available. Since our drug testing policy was amended to include synthetic marijuana as a banned substance, there have been three positive tests for the drug out of more than 2,500 drug tests administered.
All of our student-athletes are regularly educated on the harms of all types of substance use and abuse, including synthetic marijuana. In addition to education, any student-athletes who test positive for drugs are required to seek professional counseling.
Auburn Athletics has always and will continue to put the wellbeing of our student-athletes at the forefront of our mission.
Following is the statement Auburn provided to ESPN in response to its story on synthetic Marijuana use:
After a thorough internal review, the Auburn Athletics Department believes many of the allegations made by the individuals interviewed for this story are baseless and inaccurate.
As the District Attorney told a jury in open court a year ago, Auburn football and Auburn's policies had nothing to do with what happened the night that four former football players were arrested for armed robbery. Unfortunately, the defendants in this case are simply facing theconsequences of their actions.
The facts clearly demonstrate that the Auburn Athletics Department and the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics acted appropriately and aggressively in response to the growing threat of synthetic marijuana during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Auburn Athletics began testing its student-athletes for synthetic marijuana three days after a test became available. Since our drug testing policy was amended to include synthetic marijuana as a banned substance, there have been three positive tests for the drug out of more than 2,500 drug tests administered.
All of our student-athletes are regularly educated on the harms of all types of substance use and abuse, including synthetic marijuana. In addition to education, any student-athletes who test positive for drugs are required to seek professional counseling.
Auburn Athletics has always and will continue to put the wellbeing of our student-athletes at the forefront of our mission.
1
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:00 pm to HailToTheChiz
Per Phillip, Jay Jacobs BOOM letter:
Dear Auburn Family,
You may have seen a story on ESPN.com this evening about the former Auburn football players who were dismissed two years ago for their involvement in an armed robbery.
The story chronicles the former players’ use of synthetic marijuana, which the defendants in the robbery case have used as their primary defense in court. We expect another, more in-depth story to appear in an upcoming print edition of ESPN The Magazine.
We cooperated with ESPN in the story because of how appropriately and aggressively the Auburn Athletics Department and the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics acted in response to the growing threat of synthetic marijuana during the 2010-2011 academic year.
As a father of three, I sympathize with the parents of the young men who face prison sentences for their alleged involvement in the armed robbery. While they have a right to speak out, I have an obligation to share the facts, which clearly show Auburn Athletics tried to help these former student-athletes.
Some of the statements made in the story are wrong and need to be corrected, while others need to be put into proper context. One player interviewed by ESPN, for example, alleges that up to half of the 2010 football team was using synthetic marijuana. It’s hard to be more wrong than that. The facts and our drug testing results simply do not support such a claim.
A parent interviewed told ESPN they would have done more to help her son had we done more to let her know he was in trouble. That is incorrect. The facts demonstrate that our coaches and Sports Medicine professionals had regular communication with the parents and that every effort was made to warn our student-athletes about the dangers of synthetic marijuana.
Allow me to share with you the facts that we provided to the reporter. Some of them were included in the initial story. Some were not.
• Auburn Athletics began testing for synthetic marijuana three days after our testing company made a test available. A test became available on Jan. 24, 2011, and Auburn added the test to its panel on Jan. 27, 2011.
• Since our drug testing policy was amended to include synthetic marijuana as a banned substance, there have been three positive tests for the drug out of more than 2,500 drug tests administered. Those three individuals are no longer on Auburn Athletics rosters.
• As soon as our Director of Sports Medicine was aware that synthetic marijuana was a drug readily available in convenience stores in the fall of 2010, Auburn Athletics contacted our drug testing company to inquire about whether they had a test for synthetic marijuana and when one would be made available. They did not have a test at the time.
At the same time, our Director of Sports Medicine began education efforts aimed at our coaches and student-athletes.
• Auburn Athletics provided urine samples to the drug testing company to assist them in their efforts to develop a test.
• The Director of Sports Medicine and former Coach Gene Chizik both addressed the football team about the dangers of synthetic marijuana at multiple team meetings in the Fall of 2010, before a test was available. A story about the drug was placed on the locker of every football player on the team.
• Within the first few months of testing, 3 percent of our student-athletes tested positive for synthetic marijuana.
• Phone records show that more than 50 phone calls were made to the parents of two former student-athletes who were interviewed by ESPN.
• The father of one of the student-athletes who was apparently interviewed by ESPN was sent a letter informing him that his son had failed a drug test for regular marijuana two months before the robbery.
• The Auburn Drug Testing/Drug Education Advisory Committee recommended to the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics that synthetic marijuana be added to the Auburn Athletics drug testing policy on March 14, 2011. The policy change was adopted that day.
• Penalties for the use of synthetic marijuana were put into place for the next academic year beginning in August of 2011. Since it became a banned substance under the drug testing policy, only three student-athletes have tested positive for synthetic marijuana out of more than 2,500 tests administered.
I hope the facts clear up any misconceptions about drug use among our student-athletes. It is important for you to know that Auburn Athletics conducts approximately 1,500 drug tests each academic year. Less than one percent of our student-athletes test positive for illegal substances.
Dear Auburn Family,
You may have seen a story on ESPN.com this evening about the former Auburn football players who were dismissed two years ago for their involvement in an armed robbery.
The story chronicles the former players’ use of synthetic marijuana, which the defendants in the robbery case have used as their primary defense in court. We expect another, more in-depth story to appear in an upcoming print edition of ESPN The Magazine.
We cooperated with ESPN in the story because of how appropriately and aggressively the Auburn Athletics Department and the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics acted in response to the growing threat of synthetic marijuana during the 2010-2011 academic year.
As a father of three, I sympathize with the parents of the young men who face prison sentences for their alleged involvement in the armed robbery. While they have a right to speak out, I have an obligation to share the facts, which clearly show Auburn Athletics tried to help these former student-athletes.
Some of the statements made in the story are wrong and need to be corrected, while others need to be put into proper context. One player interviewed by ESPN, for example, alleges that up to half of the 2010 football team was using synthetic marijuana. It’s hard to be more wrong than that. The facts and our drug testing results simply do not support such a claim.
A parent interviewed told ESPN they would have done more to help her son had we done more to let her know he was in trouble. That is incorrect. The facts demonstrate that our coaches and Sports Medicine professionals had regular communication with the parents and that every effort was made to warn our student-athletes about the dangers of synthetic marijuana.
Allow me to share with you the facts that we provided to the reporter. Some of them were included in the initial story. Some were not.
• Auburn Athletics began testing for synthetic marijuana three days after our testing company made a test available. A test became available on Jan. 24, 2011, and Auburn added the test to its panel on Jan. 27, 2011.
• Since our drug testing policy was amended to include synthetic marijuana as a banned substance, there have been three positive tests for the drug out of more than 2,500 drug tests administered. Those three individuals are no longer on Auburn Athletics rosters.
• As soon as our Director of Sports Medicine was aware that synthetic marijuana was a drug readily available in convenience stores in the fall of 2010, Auburn Athletics contacted our drug testing company to inquire about whether they had a test for synthetic marijuana and when one would be made available. They did not have a test at the time.
At the same time, our Director of Sports Medicine began education efforts aimed at our coaches and student-athletes.
• Auburn Athletics provided urine samples to the drug testing company to assist them in their efforts to develop a test.
• The Director of Sports Medicine and former Coach Gene Chizik both addressed the football team about the dangers of synthetic marijuana at multiple team meetings in the Fall of 2010, before a test was available. A story about the drug was placed on the locker of every football player on the team.
• Within the first few months of testing, 3 percent of our student-athletes tested positive for synthetic marijuana.
• Phone records show that more than 50 phone calls were made to the parents of two former student-athletes who were interviewed by ESPN.
• The father of one of the student-athletes who was apparently interviewed by ESPN was sent a letter informing him that his son had failed a drug test for regular marijuana two months before the robbery.
• The Auburn Drug Testing/Drug Education Advisory Committee recommended to the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics that synthetic marijuana be added to the Auburn Athletics drug testing policy on March 14, 2011. The policy change was adopted that day.
• Penalties for the use of synthetic marijuana were put into place for the next academic year beginning in August of 2011. Since it became a banned substance under the drug testing policy, only three student-athletes have tested positive for synthetic marijuana out of more than 2,500 tests administered.
I hope the facts clear up any misconceptions about drug use among our student-athletes. It is important for you to know that Auburn Athletics conducts approximately 1,500 drug tests each academic year. Less than one percent of our student-athletes test positive for illegal substances.
This post was edited on 4/4/13 at 8:01 pm
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:07 pm to HailToTheChiz
Interesting
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:16 pm to HailToTheChiz
How many more stories is Auburn going to "cooperate" on with ESPN?
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:20 pm to HailToTheChiz
frick ESPN and their agenda
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:22 pm to HailToTheChiz
Who the frick needs facts when you have 4 criminals about to be locked up for a long time talking and a rouge blog reporter spewing off bullshite left and right? I choose to believe the crazy bitch and felons but that is just me.
Sincerely,
The SEC Rant
Sincerely,
The SEC Rant
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:47 pm to auburnu008
frick the Rant.
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:48 pm to weagle99
Posted on 4/4/13 at 8:52 pm to Tiguar
I hope none. Politely remind them next time they request that we do not think it is in our best interest to associate ourselves with espn if we can control it.
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:11 pm to piggidyphish
This is bullshite. Watching the NIT and ESPN cut in with the Auburn cheating shite.. This is bullshite and fricking stupid frick ESPN.
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:16 pm to weagle99
quote:
frick ESPN and their agenda
and
quote:
frick the Rant.
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:22 pm to Tiguar
Plus side about all this
1- Chizik's reputation is on the line so he can never bad mouth Auburn ever now. Having a coach you canned supporting you has to be good
2- Jay Jacobs may get shitcanned(read as "retire) over this
3- This shite is over before national signing day and they have to be running out of crap to write about already. Bad publicity only hurts us around national signing day. Otherwise, it only strengthens the fanaticism in our fanbase and puts us in the spotlight. Who gives a shite what other fans think of us? Winners don't give a shite. I didn't see anyone bitching about others when we were shoving our BCS NC trophy down their throats followed by some eat shite sandwiches
4- These problems aren't nearly as bad as I thought they were pre articles. I am surprised it isn't like 50 failed drug tests and all Fs the way our team acts/performs. Actually makes me feel better about the size of the hole we have to dig back out of
5- None of this shite really matters because the shite we do, it ain't traceable. We aren't getting in trouble about this
1- Chizik's reputation is on the line so he can never bad mouth Auburn ever now. Having a coach you canned supporting you has to be good
2- Jay Jacobs may get shitcanned(read as "retire) over this
3- This shite is over before national signing day and they have to be running out of crap to write about already. Bad publicity only hurts us around national signing day. Otherwise, it only strengthens the fanaticism in our fanbase and puts us in the spotlight. Who gives a shite what other fans think of us? Winners don't give a shite. I didn't see anyone bitching about others when we were shoving our BCS NC trophy down their throats followed by some eat shite sandwiches
4- These problems aren't nearly as bad as I thought they were pre articles. I am surprised it isn't like 50 failed drug tests and all Fs the way our team acts/performs. Actually makes me feel better about the size of the hole we have to dig back out of
5- None of this shite really matters because the shite we do, it ain't traceable. We aren't getting in trouble about this
This post was edited on 4/4/13 at 9:25 pm
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:37 pm to RockyMtnTigerWDE
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:38 pm to boddagetta
Nice.
@Deadspin 11m
horseshite ESPN "investigation" reveals drug "epidemic" at Auburn: LINK
@Deadspin 11m
horseshite ESPN "investigation" reveals drug "epidemic" at Auburn: LINK
This post was edited on 4/4/13 at 9:39 pm
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:43 pm to kage
@ralphDrussoAP 34m
Auburn football is a drama magnet, often self-inflcited, but the news over the last couple days has been uncomfortably flawed
Auburn football is a drama magnet, often self-inflcited, but the news over the last couple days has been uncomfortably flawed
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:47 pm to kage
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:47 pm to kage
Dan Wetzel ? @ DanWetzel 21m
2010 Auburn Tigers, my favorite team. Unbeaten in all ways.
2010 Auburn Tigers, my favorite team. Unbeaten in all ways.
Posted on 4/4/13 at 9:50 pm to beatbammer
That tweet from wetzel is classic... 
Posted on 4/4/13 at 10:19 pm to lowspark12
bravo wetzel bravo
Posted on 4/4/13 at 10:21 pm to beatbammer
We will have the last laugh
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