Troy Williams, Stanford Robinson and Emmitt Holt Suspended by Indiana

A trio of Indiana men's basketball players, sophomores Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson and freshman Emmitt Holt have been suspended for failed drug tests and alcohol violations.

Friday, Nov. 14

Stanford Robinson Speaks

Suspended Indiana sophomore Stanford Robinson apologized for his suspension on Instagram this morning:

"

I am always Being watched so every little decision I make is critical. Young ones look up to me. I have to be somebody they can look up too. I've made bad decisions but my bad decisions do not define who I am. At the end of the day I'm a regular person but to be playing for Indiana I have to understand it is a privilege to wear the candy stripes and I apologize #Hoosiernation for the Embarrassment. But I'm ready to move on from that and be a better hoosier!

"

Monday, Nov. 3

IU Trio Suspended for Failing Drug Test, Alcohol

The seemingly relentless stream of bad news for Indiana University's basketball program continued Monday, as the team suspended sophomores Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson for failed drug tests as well as freshman Emmitt Holt for his recent alcohol-related charges.      

ESPN's Jeff Goodman and Rivals.com's Jeff Rabjohns shared the news via Twitter:

Zach Osterman of The Indianapolis Star added the following comment from Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean:

Williams and Robinson's suspensions mark the newest in a surge of alcohol- or drug-related incidents for Crean's program in 2014.   

Sophomore Devin Davis remains hospitalized in serious condition after he was struck by a car being driven by Holt, whose blood alcohol content was measured at 0.025, over the limit for a minor in Indiana (.02).

In February, Hanner Mosquera-Perea was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. In April, Robinson and star point guard Yogi Ferrell were arrested and charged for consuming alcohol and possessing fake IDs.

The latter two matters have been resolved legally, but Indiana's basketball players are not painting the program in a positive light.

Crean, via InsideTheHall.com's Jordan Littman, put it simply:

On his radio show, former Hoosier Dan Dakich, via The Indianapolis Star's Matthew Glenesk, gave his thoughts on the Hoosiers' string of run-ins with the law.

"I'm so tired of hearing, 'Well kids make mistakes.' No they don't," he said. "Not when they care about their program. Not when they care about being a basketball player more than anything else."

While the program has some serious work to do to improve its suddenly tarnished image, the Hoosiers will also be hurting on the hardwood while this trio is sidelined.

Elsa/Getty Images

Williams, who started all 32 games as a freshman, figures to be a major contributor after coming on strong at the end of last season and shining during a summer trip to Canada. Robinson averaged 16.9 minutes per contest a year ago and could either start or come in early off the bench.

A Nov. 20 meeting with SMU will undoubtedly prove difficult with neither player in uniform.

But while Indiana will miss their contributions on the court, this newest development is just another reminder of an increasingly concerning problem in Bloomington.