TCU Drug Bust: What's an Appropriate Punishment for Football Players Caught?

The college football off-season is a time to pick up recruits, get ready for spring and try to put together the best depth chart possible for next year. It's a time to get excited about the possibilities that next year will bring.

The TCU football program is likely doing those things, but they have a few distractions to take care of first. Distractions that include a total of 17 students being arrested in a drug sting that was set up following a six-month investigation. Four current football players were among the 17 that were arrested and they include Tanner Brock, Devin Johnson, D.J. Yendrey and Tyler Horn.

Now according to the report, only five players tested positive for marijuana on a test that took place on Feb. 1. A total of 11 others had trace amounts within margin of error. It's unknown if any of the players that were caught in this drug sting were among the five players that tested positive.

But what happens to the players that were caught and or tested positive for drugs?

Well, according to the TCU athlete student handbook, the athletic director and head coach of the program are first notified. They are then sent to counseling, put on probation with random testing and they face possible expulsion, revocation of scholarship and could even be dismissed from the team all together.

The punishments are even more severe if the school finds out a student or student-athlete was dealing drugs, as it appears there is zero tolerance for distribution.

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The penalty for a violation of the Drug Abuse Policy for sale, distribution or manufacture of a prescription drug or controlled substance will be permanent expulsion from the University. A student who voluntarily seeks help for drug or alcohol abuse is not subject to disciplinary action; in fact, University officials will do everything they can to assist the student in obtaining appropriate treatment. If the student continues to use drugs, then he/she does become subject to disciplinary action.

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There are still plenty of details that have to come to light before we can jump to conclusions and assume what's going to happen. But it's clear as day as to what will happen if any of these students are found guilty.

This would be a huge loss to the TCU football team, considering a couple of those players were key contributors on the team. Although I'm pretty sure football is the last thing on anyone's mind right now that's associated with TCU.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].