Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton could take the first step toward modifying the department's drug-testing policy and student-athlete guide book as early as Wednesday.
Hamilton said there are regularly scheduled coaches' staff meetings each Wednesday morning, and he plans to discuss how the athletic department should move forward after four UT men's basketball players - forward Tyler Smith, post Brian Williams, wing Cameron Tatum and point guard Melvin Goins - were arrested on misdemeanor drug and weapons charges Friday.
"It's a really good time to do a gut check with our student athletes, coaches and our staff,'' Hamilton said Tuesday. "Make sure we're doing everything possible in the education process to make sure our student athletes understand exactly what our expectations are, that our coaches understand what the expectations are, and that we've talked about how we're going to handle discipline.''
Hamilton said he'll discuss adding another provision to UT's drug testing policy with the school's drug testing committee.
Hamilton said the four-step drug testing process goes as follows:
n The first positive drug test: Counseling and additional random drug testing.
n The second positive drug test: Participation suspension, further education and additional random drug testing.
n The third positive drug test: An indefinite suspension and in some cases in-house patient program, and additional random drug testing.
n The fourth positive drug test: Dismissal.
"There's a pretty strong record if someone makes it to the third step, they are going to end up being dismissed,'' Hamilton said. "Very few are able to go back.''
Hamilton said the incident involving the four UT men's basketball players last Friday, when two guns and marijuana was found in the car during a traffic stop, has led him to consider adding another stipulation.
"If you are caught in possession of a substance, then should that automatically take you to the next step in the process?'' he said. "I think that's an item we need to look into in our drug testing policy.''
Hamilton said tightening and clarifying the rules won't solve all the problems, but it's a start.
"You can't make enough policies, you can certainly refine your policies to deal in a more direct black-and-white manner when these kinds of things occur,'' Hamilton said. "I don't think you can necessarily prevent these things from occurring.''
Hamilton said he plans to discuss with his coaches some specifics dealing with weapons in the student-athlete handbook, Hill Topics.
"It's clear our university policy is you can't have firearms on campus,'' Hamilton said, but in the handbook "we address more felonious acts, crimes, and then it talks about appropriate behavior, it doesn't say specifically in our guidebook about firearms.
"Can we prevent it? Can I draw a line in the sand and say never again? No, I can't do that,'' Hamilton said. "But we have to work with the process of getting as close to that as we can, and if that means making some examples of some folks along the way, we may have to do that.''
Hamilton said none of the student-handbook policies can change "until we have discussed with the head coaches over the next few days,'' and the drug policy changes would involve the drug testing committee approving the changes.
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Comments » 95
vet4ut writes:
Reasonable.
govols1986 writes:
A positive step. Bring it on.
chaos001 writes:
How about, you fail a drug test and your butt leaves the university?
Volumnus writes:
Translation: We want to look tough but let the players the coaches want back after a 1 or 2 game suspension, provided ofcourse that doesn't mean a game against a serious opponent, say Number 1 Kansas for instance. So we will implement steps and hide behind committees and books and as people forget and we wear them down, it will be business as usual. This is embarrassing, Phil started it and Bruce is continuing it, for now I give Kiffin the benefit of the doubt. Hamilton, I set foot on the campus as a student in 1968. I am more embarrassed by our institution than I have ever been, not because of what four thugs did, but because we recruited them, gave them scholarships and after 4 days they are still on scholarship and the team. The gut check should be the admin replacing the athletic director who is allowing this atmosphere to exist.
eb502us#225637 writes:
Sounds good as it means getting caught with weed in hand is an automatic suspension. This is what makes the university look bad as testing positive and getting suspended is usually a hush hush deal and rarely reported by the media.
chaos001 writes:
that too...
they've made themselves, the athletic department, and the university look extremely foolish.
may the door hit them on the a##es on the way out.
Skibum165 writes:
I was drug tested in the military. Fail a test and I would be removed from the Marine Corps in disgrace. I am drug tested by my employer in the airline industry. I fail a drug test and I would be terminated for cause.
A young man is told don't use drugs as a member of this University as one of the conditions of your scholarship. That means no drug test failures.
I can even see a one chance at redemption through a monitored education/probation period. But for Mr Hamilton to have a have a situation where a player can have 3 failed drug tests and still remain on campus is outrageous. Our AD needs to grow a pair and stop paying lip service to "modifying the departments drug testing policy"
His hand is out right now for the annual donations from the season ticket holders (Due by the end of March). Pandering pure and simple. I am disgusted by this and may keep my checkbook closed.
kdaff51 writes:
1st offense.......warning / probation
2nd offense.......your outta here!
Drugs are killing this county.
kdaff51 writes:
Pardon my spelling......
Drugs are killing this country!
wonderosa writes:
Remove steps (1) and (3) and you'll have a great policy.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Whoa, everybody....Lets not get ahead of this yet. He said that the other coaches had to be in agreement and I would expect that means all UT coaches including, baseball, softball, swimming, volleyball and so on. Also, he said the Drug Testing Committee had to approve it also. I have a really strong feeling that his drug policy WILL NOT get approved by all the coaches or the Drug Testing Committee. So we all need to chill out and hope they will bring Hamilton to his senses. Once a policy is approved by both, then we shall see and HOPEFULLY, it will be acceptable to all the fans too!
VOLS.....TCB.....Keep on keepin on.....GBO!!!!!!
MidTennVol writes:
Semper fi, skibum. I don't get why these kids are given 4 chances on illegal drugs. I believe in second chances for kids -- but third and fourth chances?
In my opinion, policy should be ONE failed drug test and you are suspended, your world is rocked, you must go through all the counselling available, a ton of bricks falls on your head, etc.
Fail it again and you're gone.
MIKE GRIFFITH: How does this policy compare to other public universities? Is the UT policy liberal by comparison?
Do our recruits know amongst themselves that UT has a rather lax policy when it comes to weed?
VolsInTheFall writes:
"Drugs are killing this country"
Then drugs are going to kill the bb and fb programs long before that will happen.
Four positive drug tests to get to a dismissal is absolutely embarrassing. This whole thing is an embarrassment.
It is a sign of mismanagement of a program that we're talking about how we're going to make sure that everybody is going to learn about expectations.
That's Management 101, Mike.
This is not "positive". It's simply embarrassing.
How many times have I used that word in this comment? NOT ENOUGH.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
PS...I would like to know if this drug testing policy is only for weed? What about cocaine, meth, prescription drugs, alcohol, etc.......????
It would not be fair for weed only, even if he does change the policy after meeting with all the folks. There are alot more drugs more dangerous than weed and it should include all of them.....Thanks.....I'm done now!
wayoutwill writes:
In plain English the translation is:We are gonna supend these boys 'til we think that the public won't howl too much when we put them back on the court as we make a run for the final four!
rclarkfork#639958 writes:
The policy in place now at UT is the same program that is at most Universities in the country. I feel like it has gotten to a point that both Universities and the NCAA need to incorporate stricter guidelines. Like someone said, I believe that young individuals sometimes deserve a second chance and maybe a suspension for a first offense with lots of counseling and guidance. I believe once an individual has tested positive for marijauna, drug tests should be something that is random and done quite often. A second violation should end in termination. Will this happen? I don't know if they go this far but maybe the University of Tenn can be a leader and set a policy far stricter then the rest. Once one major school does it, I think you will see many follow very quickly.
For the marine who said, one time and he was gone. Well I spent six years during the Vietnam era and I can tell you that at that time if you got caught smoking, you were sent to an inpatient type situation and then were returned to duty. You then were given random drug tests at close frequencies. I saw many who got in the wrong crowd at one time or another and were caught smoking. Many of them turned out to be some of the finest United States Servicemen that this country has ever had. Yes there were some that ended up back in the same spot and were given their discharge. No I was not a Marine but I did spend my years with the US Air Force and I can tell you that there was not a finer group of servicemen anywhere in the world. I think these policies were very fair then and I think it would be a strong deterrent now for college athletics. Yes they could go one offense and gone but so many fine young men and women make a mistake in life and if they are not given a second chance we might lose some of the great future leaders of our country. I know many personally who made a mistake once and if not for second chances, a lot of fine Americans would have been denied an opportunity to contribute the way they now do. Yes they need to get stricter but they need to be reasonable as well.
Lostvolinhighweeds writes:
Sounds reasonable on the surface.
How often does Florida test?
What is the SEC average?
BigHornBuckShot writes:
I didn't see anything in there about if you are a look-out for an armed robbery?
vet4ut writes:
I didn't see anything different in this post vs all your other posts. You've got it bad for Janzen Jackson despite what all of the evidence suggests.
Why don't you introduce one bit of evidence that goes against UTPD, KPD or any other PD before slinging rumors.
Or, you could simply cheer for your team and quit acting like you support the Vols.
TennHillbilly writes:
This is UT, not Florida. I, for one, want better quality people at UT than we see at Florida or the rest of the SEC. I'd rather see UT set the standard, instead of following someone elses.
That being said, I think if a Student/Athlete fails a drug test for any illegal drug (alcohol included) one time, or if they are busted having an illegal substance on them, they are suspended from team activities for one year and must undergo treatment. Second offense and hit the door. We don't need you in this school playing for UT.
For gun issues, absolutely zero tolerance. If they are caught with an illegal gun, pack up and move out. I also think these young men and women represent the state of Tennessee as student/athletes throughout the state and that means this state is their campus and should be included in their no tolerance area. Meaning if they are busted for having an illegal gun on their person or in their car, they've broken the law of the State and should be sent packing.
NCAA policy requires the first positive test automatically gets one years suspension from team activities. There is no wiggle room for MH, CBP, CLK or CPS or whatever committee they want to create on this matter. I think the powers that be at UT (and other schools)are and have been hiding pot test positives to allow these players to continue playing. They will occasionally sacrifice a player to make the NCAA and others think they are following their rules, but if they were truly following strict rules, you wouldn't see any issues like this one.
creekroad writes:
Hamilton is in charge of the Athletic Department....athletics at Tennessee are a disgrace and Hamilton needs to go. We need a new direction and new leadership now.
TennHillbilly writes:
If having a stricter policy means we lose out on some recruits, so be it. If a blue chipper thinks it's more important for them to smoke dope than to play ball, then let them smoke it somewhere else. I would hope we can get the type of coaches into this program that recruits would really want to play for, even if that means they have to give up the dope. Marijuana is still illegal in the US. And as long as it is, it's still illegal in Tenn and at UT, whether people like it or not.
Ringside writes:
What happened to three strikes and you're out? Too many chances and these idiots know it.
GreerVol22 writes:
Makeing stupid comments like, "the admin should replace the athletic director who is allowing this atmosphere to exist" and "he should grow a pair", are just foolish. Hamilton "directs" that what he does, he doesn't write policy. He is now calling for a review because the current policy is obviously flawed. The university is a business, never lose site of that fact, and as such, comittees write and approve policies and handbooks. So instead of the cheap seat reaction of "Let's blame somebody", you haters should be thanking him for finaly stepping up with the "gut check" and saying to the university and coaches, enough is enough, this policy is broken, lets fix it.
Ringside writes:
With or without these clowns, Tennessee is not getting anywhere close to the final four.
CLEMSONVOL716WASBANNED writes:
What happened to the "zero tolerance" statement? From that to 4 chances before removal, what a joke. I think Hammy needs to be drug tested for this 4 strike program.
Here is my suggestion:
1. Fail 1st test for weed: suspension until you complete drug awareness program.
2.Fail 2nd test for weed: immediate dismissal.
3.Fail 1st test for anything stronger than weed:immediate dismissal.
4.Gun related crimes: immediate dismissal
5.Any crime considered a felony: immediate dismissal
A good alcohol program would take some time to put in place, due to it not being illegal unless you are underage or driving.
Waldorf writes:
I believe in second chances (within reason)....I don't believe in third.
Failed test #1 - Mandatory suspension of 25% of that season that can be increased if seen fit. Gives reasonable cause to spot test as seen fit by the universtiy for the remainder of the players time here. I don't think counseling and further education works a majority of the time, but throw that in there too so appease that crowd.
2nd offense - Clean out your locker and dorm room.
In addition, I wish the NCAA would tighten it's stance on drug testing (good luck with that with the liberal bureaucrats who govern it) as well as institute a rule as well that any athlete dismissed from a school for any drug problems would be ineligible to play for any NCAA member school for 1 year.
jmr68ut writes:
They've admitted knowing the guns were there. How about athletes with guns are out of here???? No questions asked!! Anyone who doesn't understand that, doesn't deserve to be here.
jcvol#215939 writes:
This is all ridiculous ... who is in charge of the Athletic Department - Hamilton or a "round table of coaches"??
How many of you work for companies that have random drug screening? For those that answered that you do - how many failed tests do you get before you are fired? All the ones I've seen say something like ... "if you come forward and tell us you have a problem we will provide rehab assistance, but if you are found positive in a random screen the result is termination" ... Like a Health and Safety professional I once knew said ... "We offer a strong assistance program until the piss hits the bottom of the cup"
And by the way - the only effective programs include EVERYONE in the organization - right up to the top. That would include Pearl, Hamilton and the UT Administration.
It's time to start running UT (not just UT Athletics) like the professional organization it should be. If the Administration doesn't get UT turned around quickly MTSU will be known as the pre-eminent state university in Tennessee within the next 15 years.
CoverOrange writes:
How is this drug policy any different from before?
Couchdummy writes:
Being an old golfer who is cognizant of rules, I have one question on the UT "behavior" (not just the drug) policy.---Who keeps the score, and where is the scorecard kept?
FranklinVol writes:
That "Gut Check" needs to start with Hamilton, after all he hires the coaches who recruit the players who get into trouble.
elmoe writes:
Time to break out the old back paddle Mike. Yesterday it was "zero tolerance". Pearl has known about the drug use for years (I've known about it and I'm an outsider). Tyler Smith will spend as much time reading the new student/athlete manual as he will spend on suspension.
balloonman writes:
Old Hammy thinks he such a sport's genius after Ernie Grunfield found him a basketball coach that he thinks he can re-einvent baseball too.....4 strikes you"re out!!....balls & strikes will be called by committee......what a fool!!
ClassicVol writes:
I don't agree with using drugs either but i want to see Academia tested also. All students should be held to the same standards.
vut56#231073 writes:
I am not leading the parade calling for anyone's head; however, if "zero tolerance" policy (after approval from a score, or more, participants) is a good policy now, why was it not when MH took charge?
Further, if (the committee) decides "zero tolerance" is the way to go, how can they not blow away the four perps who started all this mess?
Seems dealing with the current issue, in the way it should be dealt with, should come first; THEN, take the next step. This big noise about a "policy change" seems mostly a diversion. In practice, it would indict everyone when all that is needed is dealing with the few who embarrasses us in a fair but firm way. Plus, we do not need a big policy announcement for each sport coach to call his crowd together, tell them how it is and what will happen if they cross his or her line, then..follow up, if they do.
JMO
TotalPackage1 writes:
Exactly. After the first "failed drug test" for me, my DAD would have ripped my lips off. Four strikes and your out is akin to putting them in "timeout". That philosophy has REALLY helped out our society. All we are doing is prolonging the 99% guaranteed result.
Ironcity writes:
How about not! If one goes to a party and someone fires one up, even if you leave you could test positive. Don't say well then he shouldn't have been there in the first place. It happens and if you have ever been on a college campus and gone to ANY party you know it happens. Additionally, our policy is exactly like every public schools policy in the country. To change it dramatically would make us noncompetitive thus costing the University millions.
Then again we could just eliminate our sports programs and that would solve the problem.
537081 writes:
Spell it out in black and white. Put it in simple words that anyone could understand. 0 chances on drugs and weapons. Then stick with it.
tomkats3242 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
elmoe writes:
You don't test them because you know they can't pass.
VolFanFtl writes:
Remember we are talking here about marijuana, which has been effectively used for medicinal reasons for centuries. I know of no one that has died from marijuana over dose. Alcohol on the other had is a different story.
I can think of plenty of other things that are killing this country more than marijuana.
That being said, it has no place in a college athlete’s routine and there should be consequences for using it.
While the above actions by Mike Hamilton are a first-step, something needs to be done on an institutional level, meaning the NCAA needs to establish rules and penalties that are uniformily enforced among all institutions. We all know that a school like Florida with Urban Meyer and Jeremy Foley will not implement standards unless they are forced to.
tnman writes:
No alcohol involved, shows some proper discretion to me. Marijuana is a benign drug. I'd rather see folks smoking pot and driving around than drunks on the road. Marijuana laws are politically and economically beneficial, that's it. It's like prohibition. Legislators make these laws, and participate in the illegal activity themselves. Pot is a part of our culture. Like alcohol, Pot's been around forever. We want it, and we'll have it, period. The guns is the biggest issue. Ban handguns, they do a lot more damage than a bag of weed, Agreed?
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Such a policy is already outlawed by both the SEC and the NCAA. The outline Hamilton laid out is just a refinement of the conference-wide policy already in effect.
secsecsec writes:
My thoughts exactly. One of the conditions that I have for my employment is "no drugs". If I am tested and found to have taken drugs- the my contract says "no employment." It is time that we quit coddling athletes and giving them a different set of rules to follow. Period. This isn't a zero tolerance policy like what was said yesterday by Hamilton. This isn't even close to a zero-tolerance policy.
VolFanFtl writes:
Or a football player firing an AK-47 at a party in Gainesville and being let back on the team by Urban and Jeremy Foley.
If your post is a snide comment about UT's Jackson, do you have some facts that the police and district attorney offices which exonerated Jackson?
If you don't have anything else to add, I am tired of seeing you write about Jackson's involvement in that incident. Time to move on.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
The NCAA has no such rule. If you think it does, cite the relevant passage in the NCAA rule book. The NCAA gives conferences and individual schools considerable latitude in establishing their own rules. I am in favor of a strict but reasonable policy, but anything Hamilton decides from here on out cannot be applied to the present situation.
topgun writes:
AMEN!! AMEN!! Well said!! If anyone believes that the marines kick people out of the corps for one failed drug test is purely nuts!!
Let's see....the marines have a master sergeant with about 15 years experience, 2 or 3 combat tours, you've invested over 75 grand in training costs--He tests positive for drugs for the first time ever, AND the marines kick him out?? Besides, the marines would have only about 20 people in it if that were true. Been there, done that. Don't try to fake out a 20 year USAF guy with that kind of baloney. NO way, Jose!!
Please, people, as most experienced, rational thinkers have said here--let's wait until all the facts are in and what charges are actually made on 14 Jan 10!!! Some of these guys may go to federal prison, some may get dissmissed from team/UT, and some could suit up for the VOLS sometime in the near future. If they go to prison, then all of you haters will have decades to brag about it and can post here at your leisure as to how you were right. OK, if and when it happens--fire away--but, you might want to wait to find out who is guilty of what. Regardless, UT and the law should handle it.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
There is a reason for the provision in the US Constitution that forbids "ex post facto" laws. In short, you can't enact a law and then go back and punish people for offenses that weren't crimes before the law was passed. Strictly speaking, university policies of this type don't fall under those provisions, but the principle and spirit behind those provisions are important.
SEAL_9821 writes:
Excactly!!!WELL SAID
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