Salt Lake City -- Syracuse guard Frank Howard’s indefinite suspension from the men’s basketball team is due to a failed drug test, according to a report from Syracuse University’s student newspaper.
The Daily Orange cited three anonymous sources who were “familiar with the situation,” including a former Syracuse player.
Syracuse announced Wednesday that Howard would be out of the NCAA Tournament for an “indefinite” amount of time due to a violation of athletic department policy. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim later confirmed that meant that Howard would not play in the Orange’s NCAA Tournament opener against Baylor on Thursday. He did not say whether Howard’s absence would extend beyond that if the Orange won its first game.
Some Syracuse players said they were informed of Howard’s potential absence when the team was still practicing in Syracuse earlier this week, while others said they were stunned by the news Wednesday when the school officially announced Howard would be suspended.
Howard traveled with the team to Salt Lake City, according to photos and videos produced by the school, but he was not seen by media with the team Wednesday.
The Daily Orange report did not indicate what Howard tested positive for or whether the school or the NCAA conducted the test.
Drug testing within college sports is performed both individually by schools and, at times, by the NCAA. Schools are allowed to create their own drug policies and procedures and must follow them. It’s unclear what Syracuse’s drug-testing policies and procedures are because they are not public.
The NCAA conducts tests for performance-enhancing drugs throughout the year and tests for recreational drugs at some of its championship events. Athletes competing in championship events can be tested on the basis of “their position, competitive ranking, financial-aid status, playing time, random selection, or other NCAA-approved selection method.”
The penalty for testing positive once for a recreational drug in an NCAA-administered test is a suspension for half of a season. The penalty for a positive first test for a performance-enhancing drug in an NCAA-administered test is a full year suspension.
The NCAA can perform drug tests during any round of its championship events and may perform drug-testing during multiple rounds. The NCAA says schools and athletes are not provided advance notice of whether drug testing will occur.
Syracuse was found by the NCAA to have violated its own drug policy when the program was sanctioned for a variety of violations in 2015. The policy from that time has been changed since then but, at the time, it included the following penalty structure:
First positive test: Player is ineligible until a parent is notified
Second positive test: Player is removed from the team until a counselor advises the team physician that the player is clean.
Third positive test: Players loses his eligibility and all athletically-related financial aid at the conclusion of the semester.
