LSU’s Kristian Fulton looking for ‘reconsideration’ of two-year suspension for tampering with drug-test sample

It’s not often that the NCAA hands out a one-year suspension to a college football player. Even rarer is one twice as long.

Yet the latter is the very situation Kristian Fulton finds himself in, with the New Orleans Times-Picayune confirming through the LSU cornerback’s family that he is in the midst of serving a two-year suspension levied by the NCAA. That suspension stems from Fulton allegedly tampering with a drug-test sample in the early months of 2017.

From the Times-Picayune‘s report:

The NCAA rulebook states, “A student-athlete who is involved in a case of clearly observed tampering with an NCAA drug-test sample, as documented per NCAA drug-testing protocol by a drug-testing crew member, shall be charged with the loss of a minimum of two seasons of competition in all sports and shall remain ineligible for all regular-season and postseason competition during the time period ending two calendar years (730 days) from the date of the tampering.

The suspension has already cost Fulton the 2017 season, and could force him to the sidelines for all of 2018 as well. The university has already appealed the suspension but was denied; an Alabama-based attorney is now seeking to have the NCAA reconsider the continuation of the punitive measure.

“A two-year penalty, that’s a career-ending sanction for a college athlete,” the attorney, Don Jackson, told the newspaper. “One year is a severe penalty. But a two-year sanction for a college athlete, that’s a career-ending penalty.”

It’s expected that an answer on the reconsideration should come at some point before the start of the 2018 season.

Fulton, a five-star 2016 signee, played in three games as a true freshman. If the reconsideration is denied, it would leave Fulton with one season of eligibility he could use in 2019. He could also make himself available for the 2019 NFL draft.