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Auburn official explains discipline process for players facing drug chargers
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Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn has been very ambiguous to say the least as to the possible punishments his four second-year players face after last weekend’s arrest for marijuana possession just off the Auburn campus. In contrast to the standard coach speak from Malzahn, one Auburn official outlined how discipline will be handed out for players Byron Cowart, Carlton Davis, Ryan Davis and Jeremiah Dinson.
Randall Clark, Auburn’s faculty chair of the school’s Drug and Alcohol Education and Testing Program spoke to the Ledger-Enquirer to shed further details on the school’s next step in the process.
“The coach has input in the process if they wish to have it, but it’s a collective opinion,” Clark said. “In my experience there usually is an obvious conscious about the punishment. I’ve seen cases where a vote is taken, but usually the course of action becomes obvious in the course of the discussion.”
The “collective opinion” Clark refers to involves himself, the director of athletics, or a designee, Malzahn and the Chair of the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Faculty Athletics Representative.
“The investigative committee makes the judgment on an individual case by case basis,” Clark said. “If the police are involved that’s usually a strong indication there’s something we need to be concerned about.”
The school also works on a point-based system, where a failed drug test for marijuana or synthetic Cannabinoids is worth one point, whereas other banned substances count as three points. The more points a player accumulates, the longer they can be suspended.
It is unknown if any of the four players arrested last week have faced previous disciplinary action, however given this information from Clark, the length of any suspensions should give a solid indication on any previous issues with any of the four players in question.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
