Justin Houston was subjected to drug-testing at UGA
Georgia's Justin Houston runs back an interception against Georgia Tech last November. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
The questions started coming not long after the news began to circulate that Justin Houston allegedly flunked a drug test at an NFL combine, according to a story first reported by FoxSports.com that also is being reported in numerous media outlets. People wanted to know if anything like this happened with Houston while he was at UGA?
The answer is, we don’t know.
Houston was suspended for the first two games of the 2009 season at Georgia for an undetermined “violation of team rules.” That may or may not have been because he tested positive for drugs. But UGA didn’t say then and it isn’t going to say now. Test results are protected by “HIPAA,” the federal law that ensures that medical information remains private.
What we do know is Georgia tests its student-athletes regularly for alcohol and drugs, including marijuana and performance-enhancing drugs. According to Athletic Director Greg McGarity, student-athletes are exposed to testing in four different ways: preseason physicals, random, reasonable suspicion and periodic visits from the NCAA.
The punishment for failing such tests are spelled out in UGA’s student-athlete handbook. McGarity, reading from the 2010-11 edition of that handbook, said that a first offense at UGA calls for a suspension of “no less than 10 percent of the total season of competition,” drug counseling and evaluation, 20 hours of community service and the notification of the head coach, director of sports medicine, team physician and parents or guardians. They are also placed on athletic department probation and subjected to more testing.
A second offense is a suspension from 50 percent of the total season and a third is revocation of scholarship.
“That’s our policy,” McGarity said. “We adhere to it and follow it to the letter.”
Drug-testing is common in college athletics and UGA was considered in pioneer in the practice of it. It installed one of the first comprehensive testing programs in the country under AD Vince Dooley in the 1980s. However, testing policies among individual schools vary widely, according to a recent report by The Associated Press.
Houston (6-3, 270), a defensive end, left Georgia after his junior season this past fall to enter the draft. He was one of two players to test positive for marijuana, according to the FoxSports report. Iowa defensive tackle Christian Ballard was the other, it said.
D. Orlando Ledbetter, the AJC’s Falcons reporter and NFL expert, said teams would have already had knowledge of the alleged failed tests. Houston projected as a late first-round or early second-round draft pick.
Houston was an All-SEC first-team selection after recording 67 tackles, 18½ tackles for loss and 10 sacks this past season, en route to an All-SEC first-team selection. He played defensive end and outside linebacker during his three-year tenure with the Bulldogs and has been evaluated at both positions by NFL scouts.
– Chip Towers, The UGA Blog
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140 comments Add your comment
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 27th, 2011
10:30 am
Timbo…If I were a Miami fan I would have been upset about this 15 years ago.
You don’t see Buckeye on here complaining about Art Schlichter’s gambling habit do you? No because he embarrassed OSU when I was probably 5 years old.
Waaaaaay up here in the present though, Ray Lewis is a first ballot Hall of Famer and I am mad that our top two guys are making UGA look bad…again.
Harvey Updyke
April 27th, 2011
10:32 am
Roll damn tide…..
King Saban
April 27th, 2011
10:34 am
Justin Houston is simply reflective of the Georgia program’s glaring lack of discipline and accountability both off and on the field. You won’t see any of Alabama’s 3 first round draft picks failing drug tests. What an idiot but then what do you expect coming from a renegade program like Georgia? You guys need some dang discipline over in Athens.
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 27th, 2011
10:37 am
A renegade flies in the face of the rules. Like oversigning and using medical hardships to cut poor performing players isn’t thumbing your nose at the NCAA rule book.
I guess in Alabama breaking the rules is not renegade since it leads to wins on the field. I see your point King–Thanks!
Buckeye
April 27th, 2011
10:39 am
Auburn fans,
Art Schlicter is a sad story. Wrecked a lot of lives beyond his own. I was a comtemporary of Art, had a couple classes with him. He dated one of the twins on the cheerleading squad at the time. Had the world by the tail. As Woody said, show me a hero and I’ll show you a tradgedy”. Art is a case in point,
Buckeye
April 27th, 2011
10:40 am
The NFL…………………..name another multi-million dollar employer for convicted felons.
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 27th, 2011
10:43 am
Agreed…it is a sad story. My point was not to make light of it but rather to show that it was a long time ago. Sorry if I cam off as flippant.
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 27th, 2011
10:43 am
erg…came off
1eyedJack
April 27th, 2011
10:53 am
Still blocked?
1eyedJack
April 27th, 2011
10:55 am
Roll another one
Just like the other one.
You’ve been hanging on to it
And I sure would like a hit.
Da preacher Man
April 27th, 2011
11:31 am
If you wanna get high “Get high on Jesus”.
Chris S
April 27th, 2011
11:34 am
Of all the things the NFL should be concerned about, marijuana use seems pretty low on the list.
Buckeye
April 27th, 2011
11:35 am
Time for a quick doob…..always makes lunch taste much better.
Bawney Fwank
April 27th, 2011
11:49 am
It’s high-time that the state and federal governments ignore the multi dollar political contributions that the alcoholic beverage industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the wood/paper products industry, etc. and quit spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money a year to fight a plant that has numerous medical uses such as treatment of migraine/sinus headaches, insomnia, arthritis, menstrual pain, etc. with far fewer side-effects and drug interactions than all the expensive Ambien, Temazepam, anti-depressants, etc. that the drug companies and drug company compensated doctors push upon us, makes much finer paper products, bio-degradable plastic and cord and rope products, bio-fuel that is cheaper to produce and doesn’t double meat and other food prices (like the corn ethanol scam), and is far safer than alcoholic beverages for recreational use.
1eyedJack
April 27th, 2011
11:58 am
Bawney Fwank, I thought you said it was your boyfriend that was growing the pot and you didn’t know what it was.
Saban
April 27th, 2011
12:13 pm
Guess they didn`t test for the right drug. Understand Georgia only uses drug tests for the after effects of eating a krispy kreme.
mcdawg
April 27th, 2011
12:19 pm
its why he shaved his head like brittany
puppydawg
April 27th, 2011
12:32 pm
Not very smart on Justin’s part but, IMHO, the only impact on his draft status is that he won’t be selected by the Falcons. Too much negative PR in the local media.
The Original WDE
April 27th, 2011
12:42 pm
This isn’t a dealbreaker for Justin. The question that concerns the GM’s that are giving him a good look is not if he’s a bad person, but this:
With all of it on the line, with him in the most important 4-months of his career (training-wise), why in the hell did he smoke pot? He knew it was against the rules, and knows its not good for his workouts. Does he not take his career and training seriously?
just a little sense
April 27th, 2011
1:04 pm
Point Blank—How many scientific studies do we need to tell us that mary-jane is not what the law & media make it out to be. Point Blank.
just a little sense
April 27th, 2011
1:09 pm
Currently, football players are not allowed to party downtown, smoke pot, and in general just be typical college students. But they are allowed–more like forced–to work tirelessly throughout their collegiate years so other people can profit from it.
ncbulldawg86
April 27th, 2011
1:17 pm
Hey dumb @$$es!!! Before you get all high and mighty, three players tested positive. One from UGA, one from Iowa (both top 50 picks) and a player from Florida. Sheesh, some people and their ignorance, and they are not scared to display it. Instead, let’s just slam on the program at UGA, when the reality is the comments should be focused on the dumb move on Houston’s part. Cost him “now” money, but probably not the opportunity to try to play on Sundays.
Keith
April 27th, 2011
1:17 pm
This kid is going to be drafted whereever he would have been drafted had this not occured. He’s a good defensive player and GMs will excuse this occurance.
TXDawg3
April 27th, 2011
1:22 pm
If all SEC schools do drug testing, why didn’t Tennessee catch Eric Ainge while he was playing? After all, he has confessed to substance abuse while at UT.
True Story
April 27th, 2011
1:31 pm
Who cares… the NFL is rotten, and all about greed, money, and power! I hate the NFL, and i hope all the greedy b@$t@rds don’t get a season this year. Bring on the scabs!!!
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 27th, 2011
1:32 pm
Chris S…but it is the gateway drug! First a couple of joints…next thing you know you are making it rain in strip clubs, dodging bullets, and asking everyone to call you Pac Man.
AltamahaDawg
April 27th, 2011
1:43 pm
I’m sorry, but what is this BS in the news reports that Muschamp is sending a strong message? As if a letting go of a 3 arrest trouble maker with one foot out the door, took some kind of a brave decision? Please! Would he have even been allowed to matriculate fall semester?
Talllcarl
April 27th, 2011
2:09 pm
First of all ths is just a rumor so do not convict him yet. I find it hard to believe anyone would be working out for the NFL combine and not expect to be drug tested so I do not believe the story. Second after many weeks have past since the NFL combine the timing of this ‘leak’ is a little suspect. I do not think Houston was this dumb. Think folks before you cast the stone at another.
tim
April 27th, 2011
2:10 pm
Hey Chip……..since when is testing positive for pot “medical information?” There is nothing medical about it.
Dawg Bite
April 27th, 2011
2:15 pm
Seriously, you think that every coach in college football would dismiss his best player for a second misdemeanor pot arrest? Come on. Muschamp had disciplinary options less drastic than dismissal, but he chose to send Jenkins packing. For a first year head coach with a brutal schedule, that’s putting your money where your mouth is. Regardless of what you think of Florida, I like to see it, and I give Muschamp credit.
tim
April 27th, 2011
2:17 pm
@tallllcarl….. Yep, they test for drugs, everyone knows it, and some get caught. He’s not the first.
Better Dawgs!
April 27th, 2011
2:46 pm
Out with the old in with the new. Hope it was Dan K.
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 27th, 2011
2:53 pm
Every member of the SEC is required to test the players for Drugs. I suspect that every member of the SEC has at least one person smoking the weed. The players don’t get tested weekly, or even monthly for the most part, so it is easy enough to avoid a postive result. Coaches try their best to curb it, but let’s face it, they can’t be around their players 24/7. It is called responsibility and some of these players have either not been taught it, or feel they are above the law because they are an athelete. To blame CMR for Houston’s lack of judgement is just plain stupid. A coach likme CMR, who truely cares for his kids and tries to run a clean program, is just as susceptible to having a kid do something stupid as any other coach. He is not a member of the UGA football program any longer, and if you want to stretch your beliefs just a little, who is to say, this was not the first time he ever tried it, and he didn’t think it took 30 days to clear his system. This is just as plausable as blaming CMR for the actions of a former player.
GT BBall Fan
April 27th, 2011
2:56 pm
I hear Houston and Damon Evans partied together all the time chasing tail in Buckhead.
1eyedJack
April 27th, 2011
3:09 pm
These just had to be Tech nerds.
An off-duty Atlanta police officer got into a scuffle with a woman and ‘punched her in the face’, and the early morning incident at a Buckhead IHOP was captured on video, the Atlanta Police Department confirmed.
It was not clear what started the melee, but Freeman said Wednesday she was speaking with her friend about nearby restaurant patrons who were ‘dressed like Darth Vader’ from the Star Wars films before the off-duty APD officer approached.
ClinchCountyDawg
April 27th, 2011
3:11 pm
This is no big deal. Justin was trying to prevent future outbreaks of cataracts. This was a good preventive health tip he picked up on Dr. Oz.
Dee
April 28th, 2011
9:49 am
All people make mistakes. Many people make what are considered”stupid” mistakes. Some of these are in their 50s, 60s, and beyond. And, yes many of these people are commenting on this message board including me. He is still a kid.
He worked hard, entertained thousands in the stands and millions on T.V. And, the University makes millions off the efforts of these young men, for more than the cost of an education at Georgia.
This is not the end of the world, nor does Justin have to let it be the end of his life or career.
Hang in there Justin, this too shall pass.
LawDawg
April 28th, 2011
3:45 pm
Who. Cares.
Randall H.
April 29th, 2011
5:36 pm
Bozo, you must be one of the left winged naive out there. The problems at one school are pretty much the same at every school. The high road has been paved over now and it’s probably never coming back.
T.M. Parker
May 1st, 2011
9:18 pm
When asked about the incident, Justin replied “Uhm, what were we just talking about again, Man?”