ReutersThe fact that a sizable percentage of the Oregon football program reportedly does/did the puff-puff-pass-then-run-really-fast-on-fall-Saturdays will come back and Duck 100 percent of UO student-athlete’s squarely in the hindquarters.
In a decision that was officially instituted Aug. 31 but wasn’t publicly acknowledged until midweek, UO confirmed that it has, the Eugene Register-Guard writes, “instituted the testing on a temporary but immediate basis Sept. 1 through Feb. 29.”
“Fall sports were beginning, and we believed there was a compelling need for us to protect student-athletes,” a school spokesperson told the paper. “We believe it’s in the best interest of our student-athletes to make sure that we don’t have people under the influence.”
The “compelling need” arose from an April ESPN the Magazine article which detailed what was apparently rampant (gasp!!!) marijuana use among Oregon athletes in general and members of the football program specifically. In the piece, nearly two dozen (unnamed) current and former UO football players and officials estimated that “between 40 to 60 percent of their teammates puffed” as part of what was described as (egad!!!) a “pot lifestyle.”
At the time the article was published, head coach Chip Kelly stated that “[i]f we had 60 percent of our kids doing that, we wouldn’t be 34-6 [the past three years] and play in three straight BCS games,” while at the same time lamenting the fact that random drug testing was not permitted at the time. Suffice to say, the head coach was pleased with the development.
“I’ve been in support of it; I wasn’t trumpeting it, but I think it’s what everyone else in our league does, so it can also give us an answer if kids are in trouble and need help,” Kelly said according to The Oregonian. “We can educate them on why they’re not supposed to do it.”
While Kelly has his wish at the moment, it’s likely the newly-instituted policy will face challenges at myriad levels prior to its end-of-February expiration.
Bye Oregon
High Oregon
That would explain why the vaunted speed of Oregon was out-sped by LSU and the Tigers so dominated them in the first game of last season–the Ducks were stoned!
High Times at Oregon.
Texas is better than you
This is shocking to me, I bet the percentage is more like 75 to 80 % of the athletes here smoke the hippy lettuce. Have any of you ever been up to this part of the country. Everyone gets high on something. Drug testing should be manditory at OU.
Pfffffttttt….. You’d find that over 80% of ALL college athletes would test positive at one time or another. Its COLLEGE!!! Only difference is, is that we’ll find out how stupid/smart these guys are if and when they fail a drug test now. Hope they don’t pull a idiotic “Honey Badger” move who was nailed once and warned, but too stupid to control himself and cost himself potentially tens of millions of dollars and ultimately got booted off the team. Oregon, you’ve been put on notice!!
40-60% more ilke 80-90…
“through Feb. 29″ . . . 2016?