Isaiah Crowell among 3 tailbacks suspended for failing drug tests (UPDATED)
Updated throughout . . .
ATHENS – Three Georgia tailbacks – including star freshman Isaiah Crowell – have been suspended for Saturday’s New Mexico State game for failing UGA-administered drug tests last week, two sources familiar with the process and the decision confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Crowell, junior Carlton Thomas and redshirt freshman Ken Malcome will have to sit out 10 percent of the Bulldogs’ competition dates, as is UGA Athletic Association policy for a first-time violation of the student-athlete drug policy. The tests, which revealed marijuana use, were administered last week and the results were confirmed via private lab on Tuesday, the sources said.
Georgia coach Mark Richt would not confirm the reasons for the suspensions beyond his statement that it was for “violation of team policies.”
“We have certain standards in all that we do and their actions do not reflect the Georgia way,” Richt said in a statement released by UGA Sports Communications on Tuesday afternoon. “They will serve their suspensions, learn a lesson and I’m sure will be better men for it.”
Richt failed to mention the suspensions during his half-hour weekly news conference two hours before the news release was sent. He was asked about both Crowell and Malcome during that session with the media. Richt declined subsequent interview requests through UGA spokesperson Claude Felton. None of the players involved were made available.
Meanwhile, No. 2 tailback Richard Samuel underwent season-ending ankle surgery on Tuesday morning, meaning the Bulldogs (6-2) will be down to their fifth-string ball carrier when they play the Aggies (3-5) this weekend at Sanford Stadium.
Sophomore Brandon Harton, junior Wes Van Dyk and freshman Kyle Karempelis as the only true tailbacks available to play Saturday. Harton (5-foot-6, 174 pounds) and Van Dyk (6-0, 203) are both former walkons who were awarded scholarships this past summer. Karempelis (5-9, 180) is a first-year walkon out of The Wesleyan School in Norcross. Only Harton, with 11 carries for 33 yards, and Van Dyk, with one for one yard, have played in a game this season.
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo indicated after practice Tuesday night that Harton and Karempelis would be the Bulldogs’ first two options. Georgia could also utilize fullback Zander Ogletree in the running game.
“I think it’s an opportunity for a lot of guys to step up,” Bobo said. “We may have to change some things up and do some things different to move the ball. Other guys have to step up and make plays. I feel confident in those two guys and Ogletree and the backs and tight ends and receivers we have to move the ball.”
The Bulldogs could also give offensive snaps to defensive backs Brandon Boykin and/or Branden Smith, both of whom have played often on offense this season. And Bobo also dropped the names of two freshmen: Safety Nick Marshall and cornerback Damian Swann.
“There’s a lot of guys out there could be possibilities,” Bobo said.
It is the second suspension of the season for Crowell, who missed the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game for an academic-related issue. Thomas also missed the season opener due to a suspension for another undisclosed violation of team rules.
Crowell’s coach at Carver-Columbus High School, Dell McGee, traded text messages with him on Tuesday.
“I just reminded him of where he came from and not to take things for granted because they can be taken away from you,” McGee said.
Crowell was rated the No. 1 running back prospect in country when he signed with Georgia last February. He currently leads the Bulldogs with 689 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity insisted that the suspensions were not delayed discipline disciplinary actions from the week of the Florida game.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “We don’t pick when we do certain things. When certain things are found, we act right then.”
According to UGA Athletic Association student-athlete handbook, a one-game suspension can be the result of violations of three different policies: Drugs, alcohol or academics. But a violation of any policy cannot be enforced at a coach’s discretion.
“At the point a violation is discovered, if a suspension is required the penalty is enforced for the next competition,” Georgia senior Felton said. “Whatever the infraction was, it would have occurred this week.”
Georgia athletes are subject to preseason drug tests in every sport, random drug tests by the NCAA and periodic/non-random tests by the athletic association. In most cases it takes five to seven days for a lab to analyze the results.
– Chip Towers
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1,146 comments Add your comment
Dawg4Life!!
November 1st, 2011
8:56 pm
Still Not Drinking the Koolaid….LOOK….we have Auburn and Tech…Two teams in the top 25 in the nation…I think those W ’s will b impressive…Then We get to take on one of the OVERRATTTEDDs
voldog
November 1st, 2011
8:57 pm
I have the sure fire cure to prevent second offenses by these boneheads. Let the offenders sit in lounge chairs in the middle of the field with milk and cookies while the rest of the team runs until they puke. I guarantee the ‘big uglies’ will not let the bone heads do it again…….FULL METAL JACKET
Dawg4Life!!
November 1st, 2011
8:58 pm
THnk U GREG…We have Motha THeresa and her sidekick…here thinkin we R going to change the WORLD!!
IC
November 1st, 2011
8:58 pm
Well, I wondered what Coach meant when he told me he had some bad news for me but it could wait till after the FL game. I thought about it all thru the game and got so carried away one of those big linebackers almost hit me before I could get out of bounds. I guess I’ll just rest up for Auburn.
Did I look good on TV?
Straight Shooter
November 1st, 2011
8:59 pm
Send them on their way. They have no interest in UGA football, only their imagined future pro careers. They are rotten to the core and will spoil the whole team. Let present and future players know we have zero tolerance for such selfish behavior and the whole team will benefit.
Idiot Dawg
November 1st, 2011
9:00 pm
that is a good idea voldog (should be dawg). When your team mates get you back they usually do a better job.
Dawg4Life!!
November 1st, 2011
9:00 pm
FLying Tigers worry bout BAMA, now Im on the Bama Bandwagon cuz of this chump!!
daddydog
November 1st, 2011
9:01 pm
People who don’t know why they are suspended, should quit claiming they do know.
Jack
November 1st, 2011
9:01 pm
No doubt these drug test results didn’t come in until after the Florida game. No doubt.
Dawg4Life!!
November 1st, 2011
9:02 pm
IC another FLORIDA LOver, U r PAST TENSE NOW
USA
November 1st, 2011
9:04 pm
GregKennesaw
November 1st, 2011
8:54 pm
Look, it’s simple, except for the fact that they have certain skills at football, these student/athletes would never set foot on a college campus exceptt maybe to break into car.
————
Another classy American has been identified. We know Greg, educated whites don’t smoke pot or get DUI’s. Thanks for reminding us genius.
DawgThis
November 1st, 2011
9:05 pm
If I and many others heard about thes drug tests last Thursday.
The tests already must have occurred and the news already had leaked.
There is a cover up going on here. ?
I hate to see this, but this is going to get worse.
The cover up or delay will make this a bigger deal.
Drugs are the reason
November 1st, 2011
9:05 pm
daddydog – failed drug tests. Now you know too.
WTF
November 1st, 2011
9:07 pm
Crowell needs to go now. If Richt, whom I love as GA’s coach, had any balls he would have pulled him out of every game he has run his mouth in. A self-centered jerk who doesn’t know the meaning of team first. He is as bad as the ahole from Arkansas who leveled the kid from Vandy on a fair catch.
Bank on IT
November 1st, 2011
9:09 pm
Mark Richt was right about one thing: When he was recruiting Crowell he used :THE MISSING MAN(BACK) FORMATION……
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:09 pm
I bet we will still get more rushing yards than they will.
marya
November 1st, 2011
9:09 pm
All that aside, when did it become cool to publicly ridicule people from another foorball team for their names? Given today’s press conference, it’s the thing to do, especially when you have so much stuff you can’t manage yourself. NM State is a cute place, they don;t deserve disrespect from a coach and AD who can’t manage their own stuff. Sorry, call it truthfully.
CMR Says
November 1st, 2011
9:16 pm
those of you who cast the first stone…..something like that. ohhh yeah god helped me beat the gators too.
Tony
November 1st, 2011
9:23 pm
Looks like the Dream Team is becoming more of a nightmare! It’s so convenient to suspend the players for the New Mexico State game versus Florida or Auburn. It’s all about the wins.
what a joke
November 1st, 2011
9:24 pm
failed drug tests and only one game uga is a joke.
woodstockdawg
November 1st, 2011
9:24 pm
CMR’s demise will not his won/loss record. It will be his lack of disipline and team control.
TampaGator
November 1st, 2011
9:25 pm
Please…..Jesus…..don’t make me suspend them before the Florida game. My life depends on it. Thank you, Jesus……I heard you, clearly. You said, “Don’t suspend them before the Florida game.” Oh, Jesus, I now know why I love you so.
10 minutes later……..”Grantham, when we get that New Mexico State QB on the ground, get Rambo to step on his head. Meanwhile, I got to go ge that recruit that just got out of jail. Jesus told me I needed to heal his sins here at Georgia, not Florida.”
Mark Richt= Snake Oil Salesman
November 1st, 2011
9:27 pm
I knew nothing about the failed drug test nor did I ever tell my players to do a dancing in the endzone a few years ago.
Buzz2011
November 1st, 2011
9:28 pm
this can’t be!! Richt has said he was stopping this type thing… Where is the AD ? The players should be kicked off the team and Richt fired …
AZDAWG
November 1st, 2011
9:29 pm
I hate it when the POT calls the kettle black, but there was obviously a SMOKING gun for these three to be suspended at the same time.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:30 pm
I’ve also read that the “un-named source” is highly unreliable and vague.
But lets assume it really was say, smoking pot, I could drop a couple of names from the past (and still known well) that didn’t just say no back in the day and I can absolutely guarantee that if it were up to any of you to have kicked them off the team, your tune would be quite different.
dap01
November 1st, 2011
9:32 pm
Buzz2011: Go be a nerd somewhere else. You pick your time to be scantimoneous. You worry about the character of man boobs Johnson. Let UGA worry about CMR..
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:33 pm
wow Tampa, mocking the lord now are we? You know, it’s just a football game?
TheAntiMe
November 1st, 2011
9:33 pm
I just can’t believe that a college student would drink alcohol or smoke pot!!! Blasphemy!!!
Buzz2011
November 1st, 2011
9:39 pm
Dawgs have been knocking off ranked SEC teams all season.. Let’s see there is ?????
Vandy ??? UT ???? Ole Miss??? well maybe not quite ranked GT has taken out NC ( then 24th) and yes unbeaten #5 Clemson…I think the mighty conderence teams the dogs have beaten have won a total of maybe 6 games between them.. Dream team for sure>>
GaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:42 pm
Suspensions can be served at the coaches discretion. They are not mandatory next game unlike NCAA. This was a team infraction not NCAA. Crowell’s cancer has already spread to two other players. Never any trouble from Thomas prior to this year.
Spaceman Spiff
November 1st, 2011
9:42 pm
@ GT Joe
How does it feel to be UGA’s whipping boy?
Spaceman Spiff
November 1st, 2011
9:43 pm
@ Buzz2011
See my above post to GT Joe
Spaceman Spiff
November 1st, 2011
9:44 pm
@ CMR says
You are the new qualifier for the “Do you just say stupid sh!t?” award.
WestCoast Dawg
November 1st, 2011
9:45 pm
WOW!! They win a big game and then all of a sudden they think they can go stupid. Grow Up. You are in the real world. Lack of respect for yourselfs ok but not for your teammates and coaches and the University.
Spaceman Spiff
November 1st, 2011
9:45 pm
@ Flying Tigers
Prove it.
former GA player
November 1st, 2011
9:48 pm
I knew about the positive drug tests on Friday, yet our coach and AD claim they didn’t. They are liars and frauds. I’m sickened by this holier than thou guy who just wants his $3million. Talk is cheap, but GA is now a bunch of undisciplined, poorly coached talent that plays miles below what they should. Getting excited about barely beating Fla is laughable. They have no players. Pathetic. You apologists have no idea how football played with integrity and discipline can be, because you haven’t seen it in 25 years.
Mobile Dawg
November 1st, 2011
9:48 pm
Lot of speculation and emotion going on here tonight. The news on Crowell, and others is distressing. It’s not unexpected, at least by me. You can defend people all you want but a person usually wears their character on the outside. All you have to do is watch IC, during the game, after the plays, on the sidelines and his “character” is easily identified.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:49 pm
“My team beat better teams than yours did”.
my goodness……..
THAT is seriously not caring if you sound like a little kid.
Spaceman Spiff
November 1st, 2011
9:51 pm
@dap101
That is some seriously funny stuff there…
ole dawg
November 1st, 2011
9:52 pm
Hey Tampagator… go somewhere and find some class. Not sure you would know how to spell it. Enoutgh of the persecution!!!
Mobile Dawg
November 1st, 2011
9:53 pm
I often wonder when I read a comment what is sitting at the keyboard, what drives the immature childish behavior? Then I look around at society in general and am surrounded by those that are less fortunate, mostly due to their own lack of committment to anything.
JB
November 1st, 2011
9:55 pm
Nerds on here talking crap. They are on 2nd long probation in the last 10 years. Nuff said.
Burdell
November 1st, 2011
9:56 pm
Isn’t it AMAZING how this just happened after the Florida game and before the New Mexico State game. I mean REALLY, I was born at night, but not LAST night. Anyone who believes this was a coincidence obviously went to school in Athens. They will be back for Auburn and GT. Good Lord, I’m embarrassed for “Bulldog Nation”.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:58 pm
but the damn thing is…..most of this stuff comes from well off (supposedly smart) tech student/alum. Which makes it 10 times worse than if they really were some poor idiot.
cmac22
November 1st, 2011
10:00 pm
Get rid of Malcome now!! That jerk wanted to leave once, now he has earned the right to be gone forever!
Still@theKool-aidBAR
November 1st, 2011
10:01 pm
AltDAWG you can’t take what mutt fans love to dish out?
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2011
10:06 pm
Can’t fool you with those self imposed penalties can they Burdell?
Mobile Dawg
November 1st, 2011
10:06 pm
I have a hard time picturing a “mature adult” that graduated from GT spewing the childish, immature garbage that I read here.
Mobile Dawg
November 1st, 2011
10:09 pm
Students I could buy. My Brothers behavior while at GT was indicative of that. Come to think of it, he’s still a bit wierd.