TCU Football: Gary Patterson Addresses Campus Drug Arrests

Head football coach Gary Patterson and the school's Athletics Director Chris Del Conte have both issued statements in regards to Wednesday's campus drug arrest, which apparently included four members of the football team.

In the wake of disturbing developments on the Fort Worth campus, Patterson states that "there are days people want to be a head football coach, but today is not one of those days. As I heard the news this morning, I was first shocked, then hurt and now I'm mad."

Patterson's statements insinuate that he knew nothing of the six-month investigation on the Texas Christian campus, which was apparently intended to weed out drug trafficking.  

"Under my watch, drugs and drug use by TCU's student-athletes will not be tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff. Period, stated Patterson, who will soon be moving his program to the Big 12 Conference. "Our program is respected nationally for its strong ethics and for that reason the players arrested today were separated from TCU by the University. I believe strongly that young people's lives are more important than wins or losses."

The investigation, which came as a total shock to many around the program and the college football community in general, will undoubtedly overshadow TCU's transition into a new league for the upcoming season. What should have been a joyous time for the Texas Christian program may very well become little more than a side story to the ongoing drug investigation.  

Athletic Director Chris Del Conte also spoke out in a statement issued on TCU's athletic website stating that he expects "student-athletes to serve as ambassadors for the university and will not tolerate behavior that reflects poorly on TCU, the athletics department, our teams or other student-athletes within the department. We educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community and it is disappointing to me, personally, when they fall far short of these goals."

As this story continues to develop there will likely be many more opportunities to hear from both Coach Patterson and Mr. Del Conte as it is still uncertain whether arrests and expulsions will continue as more names may possibly surface during the continuing investigation.