Gaels’ players fail drug tests, suspended

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Oct. 6, 2000 | 11:59 a.m.

If Bishop Gorman's football team hopes to remain unbeaten in the Southwest Division tonight, the Gaels will have to do it at far less than full strength.

Eleven Gorman players have drawn two-game suspensions from the varsity squad for violating team rules. Some, if not all, of the suspensions came as a result of failed school-administered drug tests, sources confirmed on Thursday.

"It's going to make us look much different (Friday)," Gaels head coach Roger Whalen said. "It's like trying to drive your car without a motor."

The players will miss tonight's game at Clark and next week's nonleague game at Centennial, though Whalen said it's uncertain whether all 11 will return to the team this season.

"Some kids were suspended for a training violation, and some of them may not be back," Whalen said. "Some may be gone for good."

According to several sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Gorman officials decided to test selected varsity players after reports of alcohol and marijuana use surfaced during the Gaels' trip to Anchorage, Alaska, last month.

Bishop Gorman athletic director Norman Craft declined to comment on the specifics of the suspensions, saying only that, "We had a discipline problem in Alaska and it's been handled."

Clark County School District rules mandate one-year suspensions from activities for athletes who are in possession or under the influence of banned substances, with a possible appeal after six months.

As a private school, Bishop Gorman is not a member of the District and therefore, not subject to District guidelines. Craft said that athletes who violate Gorman's drug policy are ineligible to participate in games for two weeks, but can practice with their teams.

The Gaels are 3-2 on the season, and are coming off a 49-33 win over Durango in their division opener last week. They have four regular-season games remaining.

"You bust your butt for a year in the off-season, and right when you're halfway through your season, this happens," Whalen said. "It's tough to handle."