Athletics Department stands by disciplinary system
Out of seven arrests of MU athletes in the last year, four were made in August.
Published Sept. 24, 2010
Despite the arrests of three football players and one coach in the last month, Athletics Department spokesman Chad Moller said the department's disciplinary system is effective.
"You certainly can't prevent things from happening, but when they do happen, I feel that we have a solid system in place," he said. "It's responsible for all parties involved."
Under the department’s policy, student athletes who are charged with a felony are immediately suspended from all competition and practice. If they are convicted, they are dismissed from the team.
Former Missouri football senior captain Derrick Washington was permanently suspended from the team when he was charged with felony sexual assault Aug. 30. Permanent suspension, or dismissal, is the most severe punishment the Athletics Department can impose, Moller said.
"When you are removed from being part of a team, that would be to me the strongest action that can be taken from an athletic standpoint," he said.
Moller said athletes who are temporarily suspended could be reinstated if the felony charges are dropped or reduced. If a student is charged with a misdemeanor, his or her coach decides the punishment.
Most Big 12 schools have similar disciplinary policies for student athletes who are arrested.
Moller said the athletics department encourages social responsibility and discourages alcohol and substance abuse among its athletes almost on a daily basis.
"You can educate all that you can and it still comes down to individuals making the right decisions," he said. "What we try to do is reach kids and hope that they understand that decisions have consequences."
Athletes face temptation to use alcohol and other drugs because they are under a lot of pressure, said Jason Shaffer, who helps run an NCAA athlete alcohol abuse education conference called the APPLE Conference.
He also said athletes might be tempted to overindulge in these substances because they are forbidden from using them during the season.
"I think there are a lot of complex factors that all go into it," Shaffer said.
Three Missouri Tigers were arrested for driving while intoxicated in August, including assistant coach Bruce Walker. Beau Brinkley and Will Ebner were not suspended from the football team when they were arrested in August because they were not charged with felonies.
In 2009, quarterback Blaine Dalton was suspended after he was arrested on suspicion of possession of liquor by a minor, a misdemeanor. He was later dismissed from the team after he was arrested again on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
A total of seven Missouri athletes have been suspended due to arrests within the last year. Women's basketball players Amanda Hanneman and Jessra Johnson were suspended indefinitely after being arrested for assault in December 2009.
The majority of Big 12 schools have suspended or dismissed three or fewer players due to arrests within the last 12 months, according to news accounts. The schools' athletics departments declined to give an exact number or discuss specific cases.
When Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box was arrested for disorderly conduct last February, his punishment was handled internally because it was not a felony, Oklahoma athletics department spokesman Kenny Mossman said.
Kansas Jayhawk Jamal Greene was dismissed when he was arrested for the felony of attempted armed robbery, Kansas athletics department spokesman Jim Marchiony said.
Chuck Sczuroski, national crime prevention council senior trainer, said alcohol use among students and athletes is sometimes underestimated as a serious crime, because it can lead to crimes such as DWIs and sexual assault. The NCPC offers crime prevention training to campus law enforcement agencies.
"Folks don't want to see something that they think is relatively small affect either (the athletes') careers or their eligibility," Sczuroski said.