Does Penn State have a drug testing program?

[Sean Miller Fan]

I ask that seriously. A few weeks ago, I asked PSU fans on this board if they could ever remember a PSU starter being suspended without knowing the details as of why (ie which would be a failed internal drug test), and one guy replied that he remembered a player 20 years ago that may have been.

Pitt needs to rethink its drug-testing policy. They should only test for performance-enhancing drugs which are banned by the major pro sports leagues. If its a drug that doesn't affect the player's performance, let the Pittsburgh PD worry about policing 20 year old college kids committing the grievous crime of smoking marijuana. Throwing a season away because a few college kids smoked weed is ridiculous.

Its funny because some of us, including myself believe that one day our administration will take the sport serious enough to spend half a billion on a new stadium, yet they continue to play on an uneven playing field and won't alter their drug testing rules and send a message that it indeed takes the sport seriously.

 

[Cathedral Lawn Frisbee]

 

[Delpanther]

Same test for admission to their 150 branch campuses...if you can breathe, you pass the test!

 

[Cathedral Lawn Frisbee]

Don't forget the prestigious World Campus where you can be a dairy farmer studying on line.

 

[Cathedral Lawn Frisbee]

Yes we do but we do not use the main campus diploma since it is not the same education, unlike Moo U.

Does Pitt have branch campuses?

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Yep! The Nitter drug testing program! This is the Nitter defense taking the test and the test results that they submit!

 

[TTOWN2]

Same test for admission to their 150 branch campuses...if you can breathe, you pass the test!

LOL!!!!!!!!

 

[Revenge Of The Noise]

Every school, indeed probably nearly every institution, have such programs on paper ... for sports entities they're mostly for self interest, liability and PR. And employed selectively and strategically.

Pitt uses theirs like a bludgeon over the head. Their own head.

 

[DiehardPanther]

If that Mauti kid that played under O'Brien passed a steroid test, then everybody passes.

 

[H2Pittisit]

I ask that seriously. A few weeks ago, I asked PSU fans on this board if they could ever remember a PSU starter being suspended without knowing the details as of why (ie which would be a failed internal drug test), and one guy replied that he remembered a player 20 years ago that may have been.

Pitt needs to rethink its drug-testing policy. They should only test for performance-enhancing drugs which are banned by the major pro sports leagues. If its a drug that doesn't affect the player's performance, let the Pittsburgh PD worry about policing 20 year old college kids committing the grievous crime of smoking marijuana. Throwing a season away because a few college kids smoked weed is ridiculous.

Its funny because some of us, including myself believe that one day our administration will take the sport serious enough to spend half a billion on a new stadium, yet they continue to play on an uneven playing field and won't alter their drug testing rules and send a message that it indeed takes the sport seriously.

I'm pretty sure they kicked a guy for drugs that we recently signed to our recruiting class

 

[Panthergrowl13]

Does Pitt have branch campuses?

LOL!!!!

Pitt has 4 which will shortly be reduced to 3.

Penn State has 20 Branch Campuses.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I ask that seriously. A few weeks ago, I asked PSU fans on this board if they could ever remember a PSU starter being suspended without knowing the details as of why (ie which would be a failed internal drug test), and one guy replied that he remembered a player 20 years ago that may have been.

Pitt needs to rethink its drug-testing policy. They should only test for performance-enhancing drugs which are banned by the major pro sports leagues. If its a drug that doesn't affect the player's performance, let the Pittsburgh PD worry about policing 20 year old college kids committing the grievous crime of smoking marijuana. Throwing a season away because a few college kids smoked weed is ridiculous.

Its funny because some of us, including myself believe that one day our administration will take the sport serious enough to spend half a billion on a new stadium, yet they continue to play on an uneven playing field and won't alter their drug testing rules and send a message that it indeed takes the sport seriously.

I'm pretty sure they kicked a guy for drugs that we recently signed to our recruiting class

I said starter. If Carter was an important player to them, no way in heck that would have happened.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I ask that seriously. A few weeks ago, I asked PSU fans on this board if they could ever remember a PSU starter being suspended without knowing the details as of why (ie which would be a failed internal drug test), and one guy replied that he remembered a player 20 years ago that may have been.

Pitt needs to rethink its drug-testing policy. They should only test for performance-enhancing drugs which are banned by the major pro sports leagues. If its a drug that doesn't affect the player's performance, let the Pittsburgh PD worry about policing 20 year old college kids committing the grievous crime of smoking marijuana. Throwing a season away because a few college kids smoked weed is ridiculous.

Its funny because some of us, including myself believe that one day our administration will take the sport serious enough to spend half a billion on a new stadium, yet they continue to play on an uneven playing field and won't alter their drug testing rules and send a message that it indeed takes the sport seriously.

Current Panther Kam Carter failed 3 of them at PSU. If you think Whitehead is suspended for failed drug tests I have a bridge to sell you.

OK. What is your opinion on what he did. Remember, there was no crime or alleged crime, otherwise there'd be a police report.

 

[Pittx9]

LOL!!!!

Pitt has 4 which will shortly be reduced to 3.

Penn State has 20 Branch Campuses.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

I didn't even hear anything about that. Which branch is pitt doing away with?

 

[ratking17]

Of course they do....it is supervised by a guy named J. Franklin

 

[BuffetParrothead]

LOL!!!!

Pitt has 4 which will shortly be reduced to 3.

Penn State has 20 Branch Campuses.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

This is a picture just outside the faculty lounge at one Nitter branch campus Nitter faculty on a break:

Nitter branch campus honor students working on automation projects? Once they master this task they'll work on space travel to Mars???

 

[Nashvillian]

Of course they do....it is supervised by a guy named J. Franklin

The same guy who sent 2 key starters home from the rose bowl last year? Why does anyone care what Penn state has in terms of drug testing policies??? Does it really matter to you?

Let's look at Alabama....their starting left tackle was arrested last season with an unregistered gun and a bunch of pot and guess what.....he started the first game vs USC because Sabah couldn't care less about the student athlete. Reports came out today that heir starting DE was arrested for DUI, let's see what his punishment is...probably nothing.

 

[H2P333]

Not sure James Franklin gives a F about players or their actions as long as he wins. He is not well respected within league circles for behavioral or academic discipline hence you see many of his players being processed out by the School.

 

[Jpripper88]

2nd positive test is week suspension. 3rd is a year. 4th is dismissal.

The difference is letting the players know the testing is coming. Hopefully our coaches/staff is smart enough to let our guys know with plenty of time.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

2nd positive test is week suspension. 3rd is a year. 4th is dismissal.

The difference is letting the players know the testing is coming. Hopefully our coaches/staff is smart enough to let our guys know with plenty of time.

When it comes to pot 6 wks notice might be enough because that's how long it stays in the system of the average person.
That's a long time for a pothead and even after 6 wks there will be traces. Bottom line if you're a pothead athlete your days are numbered.

 

[Pitt-Chains]

The same guy who sent 2 key starters home from the rose bowl last year? Why does anyone care what Penn state has in terms of drug testing policies??? Does it really matter to you?

Let's look at Alabama....their starting left tackle was arrested last season with an unregistered gun and a bunch of pot and guess what.....he started the first game vs USC because Sabah couldn't care less about the student athlete. Reports came out today that heir starting DE was arrested for DUI, let's see what his punishment is...probably nothing.

Arrested is that the same as looking the other way...

 

[pittguy81]

Well, a PSU player stabbed his 'friend" over 100 times. It was his way of showing his affection...just like Joe talking about girls wanting to be raped...have to love Centre County PA

 

[HughHalligan]

Well, a PSU player stabbed his 'friend" over 100 times. It was his way of showing his affection...just like Joe talking about girls wanting to be raped...have to love Centre County PA

Yeah....and that happened something like 7 years after he was off the team

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Yeah....and that happened something like 7 years after he was off the team

He was well prepared and trained when he was on the team for his 7 yrs in the future stabbing activities.

 

[gmandingo]

I ask that seriously. A few weeks ago, I asked PSU fans on this board if they could ever remember a PSU starter being suspended without knowing the details as of why (ie which would be a failed internal drug test), and one guy replied that he remembered a player 20 years ago that may have been.

Pitt needs to rethink its drug-testing policy. They should only test for performance-enhancing drugs which are banned by the major pro sports leagues. If its a drug that doesn't affect the player's performance, let the Pittsburgh PD worry about policing 20 year old college kids committing the grievous crime of smoking marijuana. Throwing a season away because a few college kids smoked weed is ridiculous.

Its funny because some of us, including myself believe that one day our administration will take the sport serious enough to spend half a billion on a new stadium, yet they continue to play on an uneven playing field and won't alter their drug testing rules and send a message that it indeed takes the sport seriously.

I'm pretty sure they kicked a guy for drugs that we recently signed to our recruiting class

Did you forget what id you were posting from lol

 

[21Guns.]

21 - You seem to know allot about jurisprudence, how has PSU handled the Sandusky situation from start to finish? How have the top administration handled this and how was paturdo involved?

Your school fired his ass and took down his statue....why?

They all deserved to be fired. They all handled the worse possible way. When it involves anything remotely close to being child abuse it must be thoroughly handled and investigated.

The '98 incident should have been a wake up call to them. They should have realized they dodged a bullet this time. Common sense say at that point all access should have been cut off. Sandusky was hired to be D.C. not Second Mile. Giving kids access to the facility had nothing to do with his job at Penn State. Paterno of all people opposed access to the facility as part of his retirement package. Competent administrators would have said wow we are lucky. We are never going to put ourselves in that position again.

As far as the Mike McQueary I think the truth is somewhere in between. I think Mike embellished his testimony having been convinced that he was helping put a monster away. I think the version he told back in 2001 was not as explicit as it was in 2011. I do think it was more then enough for administrators to go to police.

I don't believe any of those men intentionally covered it up. I think it was a combination of incompetence and denial. These guys have worked with this man for decades and he had been held up as a model person who most believe genuinely helped kids. I think the prior incident with Sandusky in 98 gave them a false sense of security that it was just horse play.

With all that said, Paterno deserved to be fired. He morally failed but I don't think it was criminal. He could have done more but probably trusted the others to handle it. Later in his career Joe basically lost his way. Unless it was football he didn't want to deal with it. He lost control of his players and basically sold out to keep winning. In the 2000s he let guys get away with things he never would have a decade before. I not surprised he didn't want to deal with Sandusky and let the other handle it. He did see to agree with the plan which was clearly wrong.

As for the others I think their actions were clearly criminal I don't think they had criminal intent. However criminal intent is not part of the child endangerment. They clearly endangered kids by not taking basic safe guards.

 

[Hailpitt]

21Guns
Keep up the fight brother. Too late the rest of the world knows exactly what happened. The simple fact is that McQueary was compelled to report it to Jo Pa. His father and doctor friend ( long tome State College residents) knew the "rules" and advised Mike that if he did not report it to Paterno first he would be banished from the kingdom. Interestingly, Paterno interviews indicate he did not want to ruin anyone's weekend, but recent court testimony revealed that he met with Shultz and Curely and the plot unfolded from there. Unfortunately the 1998 game plan did not work this time ( which was the blue print for the cover-up for all Sandusky transgressions since the early 1970's) did not work this time. I am curious if the real story regarding the death of Cappelletti brother has been told ( he was the age of otherSandusky victims) the DA disappeared after 1998 incident).

 

[21Guns.]

21Guns
Keep up the fight brother. Too late the rest of the world knows exactly what happened. The simple fact is that McQueary was compelled to report it to Jo Pa. His father and doctor friend ( long tome State College residents) knew the "rules" and advised Mike that if he did not report it to Paterno first he would be banished from the kingdom. Interestingly, Paterno interviews indicate he did not want to ruin anyone's weekend, but recent court testimony revealed that he met with Shultz and Curely and the plot unfolded from there. Unfortunately the 1998 game plan did not work this time ( which was the blue print for the cover-up for all Sandusky transgressions since the early 1970's) did not work this time. I am curious if the real story regarding the death of Cappelletti brother has been told ( he was the age of otherSandusky victims) the DA disappeared after 1998 incident).

1. If McQuery report was graphic as he later testified why would the doctor and dad tell him to report it the next day to Paterno? If your son came to you saying I think I saw someone raping a little boy in the shower would your advice be call your boss tomorrow to tell him about it. I think if it was as graphic as his later testimony they would say go to police immediately.

2. How did Penn State cover up 98? If you are trying to covering things up you don't have the DA and outsider investigate it. Seriously how is that a blue print?

3. Did you seriously insulate that you think a poor boy who died of lukemia was murdered. I seen so low things but that is won of the worse. Seriously if they were going to cover things up and go to extremes of murdering people why wouldn't you kill McQueary or Sandusky himself. You are just as bad as the wack jobs that follow Ziegler.

 

[pittdan77]

I think the simpler explanation is that guys think they're smarter than the system. I know a guy that had someone piss into a cup for him, ran a catheter into his bladder, then pissed a clean sample. There are also cleanses that are sold, that work pretty well.

I don't care what any other school does. When I played, you got about a half-hour notice. I never cared but I watched some guys panic. Testing is better and I don't know how much notice you get now.

 

[pittdan77]

1. If McQuery report was graphic as he later testified why would the doctor and dad tell him to report it the next day to Paterno? If your son came to you saying I think I saw someone raping a little boy in the shower would your advice be call your boss tomorrow to tell him about it. I think if it was as graphic as his later testimony they would say go to police immediately.

I worked as a subcontractor for the University around that same time. I made a crack about the embarrassing Toledo loss was and that Joe should hang it up and had my job threatened. Was later pulled aside and explained that nobody spoke poorly about or dared upset JoePa. I did get to meet Joe once. He told me to "get the f*&% out of the way". LOL

I'd guess they needed a chance to figure out what to say and how to go about it. You just didn't mess around when it came to Joe.

 

[Jpripper88]

When it comes to pot 6 wks notice might be enough because that's how long it stays in the system of the average person.
That's a long time for a pothead and even after 6 wks there will be traces. Bottom line if you're a pothead athlete your days are numbered.

For a urine test? Not even close. For the average casual user (and not the very active athlete) you are talking 10 days. A once a week smoking athlete with low body day and a high metabolism, it is probably more like 3-5 days.

You are way wrong on this.

A week's notice that tests are coming should be enough. Two weeks to be safe. And the "randomness" shouldn't be (and isn't most places) random.

 

[Panthergrowl13]

I didn't even hear anything about that. Which branch is pitt doing away with?

Titusville campus.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette had several articles on this which you can google if interested.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

 

[Pittx9]

Titusville campus.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette had several articles on this which you can google if interested.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

Thanks. Titusville would've been my guess so that's not all that big of a surprise.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

2nd positive test is week suspension. 3rd is a year. 4th is dismissal.

The difference is letting the players know the testing is coming. Hopefully our coaches/staff is smart enough to let our guys know with plenty of time.

How can Franklin come down hard on his players, given the crap that he got away with at Vanderbilt?

 

[Jpripper88]

How can Franklin come down hard on his players, given the crap that he got away with at Vanderbilt?

Huh? That is University policy. Franklin can't do anything about it once they test positive. They key is making sure they don't test positive. HCPN isn't doing a good job of that.

 

[Nit777]

Not sure James Franklin gives a F about players or their actions as long as he wins. He is not well respected within league circles for behavioral or academic discipline hence you see many of his players being processed out by the School.

With all due respect,

Where is there any proof for either of your claims?

Specifically, who does not respect James Franklin within the Big 10?

Specifically, which 'many' players were processed out for academic or behavioral issues?

The only recent player dismissed for behavioral/drug issues is Kam Carter who is now at Pitt. It's possible that PSU was not aware of Carter's inclinations coming out of HS. How could Pitt not be aware? Yet, here he is on your roster.

Last year, Franklin kept 2 starters, Manny Bowen and Saed Blacknall, out of Rose Bowl for weed violations. This went a long way toward the loss.

Any team with 85 scholarship athletes and another 30 or so walk ons, has some knuckleheads that are in that age period from about 17 to 23 where they know more about life than anyone else.

 

[Jpripper88]

With all due respect,

Where is there any proof for either of your claims?

Specifically, who does not respect James Franklin within the Big 10?

Specifically, which 'many' players were processed out for academic or behavioral issues?

The only recent player dismissed for behavioral/drug issues is Kam Carter who is now at Pitt. It's possible that PSU was not aware of Carter's inclinations coming out of HS. How could Pitt not be aware? Yet, here he is on your roster.

Last year, Franklin kept 2 starters, Manny Bowen and Saed Blacknall, out of Rose Bowl for weed violations. This went a long way toward the loss.

Any team with 85 scholarship athletes and another 30 or so walk ons, has some knuckleheads that are in that age period from about 17 to 23 where they know more about life than anyone else.

No HC controls that. His hands are tied by University policy and NCAA rules.

 

[KanePA]

They all deserved to be fired. They all handled the worse possible way. When it involves anything remotely close to being child abuse it must be thoroughly handled and investigated.

The '98 incident should have been a wake up call to them. They should have realized they dodged a bullet this time. Common sense say at that point all access should have been cut off. Sandusky was hired to be D.C. not Second Mile. Giving kids access to the facility had nothing to do with his job at Penn State. Paterno of all people opposed access to the facility as part of his retirement package. Competent administrators would have said wow we are lucky. We are never going to put ourselves in that position again.

As far as the Mike McQueary I think the truth is somewhere in between. I think Mike embellished his testimony having been convinced that he was helping put a monster away. I think the version he told back in 2001 was not as explicit as it was in 2011. I do think it was more then enough for administrators to go to police.

I don't believe any of those men intentionally covered it up. I think it was a combination of incompetence and denial. These guys have worked with this man for decades and he had been held up as a model person who most believe genuinely helped kids. I think the prior incident with Sandusky in 98 gave them a false sense of security that it was just horse play.

With all that said, Paterno deserved to be fired. He morally failed but I don't think it was criminal. He could have done more but probably trusted the others to handle it. Later in his career Joe basically lost his way. Unless it was football he didn't want to deal with it. He lost control of his players and basically sold out to keep winning. In the 2000s he let guys get away with things he never would have a decade before. I not surprised he didn't want to deal with Sandusky and let the other handle it. He did see to agree with the plan which was clearly wrong.

As for the others I think their actions were clearly criminal I don't think they had criminal intent. However criminal intent is not part of the child endangerment. They clearly endangered kids by not taking basic safe guards.

This is actually the most reasoned response I've ever read from a Penn State fan. Kudos sir.

 

[Nit777]

No HC controls that. His hands are tied by University policy and NCAA rules.

I agree.

I meant to type Franklin/PSU.

That incident is similar to the current Pitt suspensions where players are so selfish that they put their needs ahead of the team.

Thus, PSU and Pitt have the same types of problems.

For the record, I am a 68 year old PSU fan from Altoona who lived through the great rivalries from the sixtys through the eighties and watched all of the bitter and hard fought games, often in really foul weather. (that was real PSU/Pitt football).

I have reasonable respect for Pitt, its athletics and its athletics.

I think the series should be renewed, however, the mandatory 9 game BIG schedule does limit flexibility.

I predicted that Pitt would win last year because of the home field advantage, the mature senior line and the fact that Peterson was returning and McSorley was not experienced. Those factors reverse this year and I would expect a PSU win, although it will not be the blow out that some PSU fans anticipate.

 

[Cvilleguy12]

How can Franklin come down hard on his players, given the crap that he got away with at Vanderbilt?

What did he get away with at Vanderbilt? I live in Nashville, Vandy season ticketholder & never heard of Franklin getting away with anything. Please explain.