from the iowa city website today......
Ferentz: No more suspensions on the horizon
December 14, 2010 | Hawk Central
Kirk Ferentz said at a news conference today that no more suspensions are expected for the Hawkeye football team, despite rampant rumors to the contrary.
Ferentz appeared at a news conference with Athletics Director Gary Barta at 10 a.m. today.
Speculation was running wild that the news conference would reveal that there were more suspensions coming in light of the arrest of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos last week.
On Monday evening, Ferentz announced that running back Adam Robinson would be suspended for the bowl game and that running back Jewel Hampton was leaving the team. Part of the reasoning for calling today’s press meeting was to make it clear that all of these incidents are not related.
Ferentz expects Robinson to return to the team when classes resume in January, and that Hampton’s departure was a “mutual decision” between Ferentz and the player.
Other highlights:
– Barta outlined UI’s drug testing program, and said that the department has discovered areas in which the testing protocol needs to be tightened. He emphasized that no athlete was caught trying to skirt the test in some fashion, but that potential ways to get around the tests were discovered. The NCAA and the Big Ten also do random testing, and Iowa is not required to have its own program. UI has had its program in place since 1988.
– Ferentz said that the department doesn’t do background checks on the roommates of players living with people not on the football team, but he did raise the possibility that perhaps they should. Johnson-Koulianos was living with a man with a prior drug conviction at the time of his arrest.
– Barta said that the football program is in the “best of hands” both on and off the field. He and Ferentz also gave a vote of confidence to Chigozie “Chick” Ejiasi, who was hired a couple of years ago as a “life skills” coach to help stem a tide of off-the-field problems with student athletes, particularly football players.
– Ferentz said he wasn’t aware that any other players knew of Johnson-Koulianos’ drug issues, and that if players were aware of it, it’s unfortunate that none came forward.
Ferentz: No more suspensions on the horizon
December 14, 2010 | Hawk Central
Kirk Ferentz said at a news conference today that no more suspensions are expected for the Hawkeye football team, despite rampant rumors to the contrary.
Ferentz appeared at a news conference with Athletics Director Gary Barta at 10 a.m. today.
Speculation was running wild that the news conference would reveal that there were more suspensions coming in light of the arrest of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos last week.
On Monday evening, Ferentz announced that running back Adam Robinson would be suspended for the bowl game and that running back Jewel Hampton was leaving the team. Part of the reasoning for calling today’s press meeting was to make it clear that all of these incidents are not related.
Ferentz expects Robinson to return to the team when classes resume in January, and that Hampton’s departure was a “mutual decision” between Ferentz and the player.
Other highlights:
– Barta outlined UI’s drug testing program, and said that the department has discovered areas in which the testing protocol needs to be tightened. He emphasized that no athlete was caught trying to skirt the test in some fashion, but that potential ways to get around the tests were discovered. The NCAA and the Big Ten also do random testing, and Iowa is not required to have its own program. UI has had its program in place since 1988.
– Ferentz said that the department doesn’t do background checks on the roommates of players living with people not on the football team, but he did raise the possibility that perhaps they should. Johnson-Koulianos was living with a man with a prior drug conviction at the time of his arrest.
– Barta said that the football program is in the “best of hands” both on and off the field. He and Ferentz also gave a vote of confidence to Chigozie “Chick” Ejiasi, who was hired a couple of years ago as a “life skills” coach to help stem a tide of off-the-field problems with student athletes, particularly football players.
– Ferentz said he wasn’t aware that any other players knew of Johnson-Koulianos’ drug issues, and that if players were aware of it, it’s unfortunate that none came forward.
