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Cal Poly to investigate football player drug use

August 13, 2014
Cameron Akins

Cameron Akins

Two days after San Luis Obispo police arrested five university football players for allegedly robbing a fraternity house near campus, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong announced plans to mount an investigate drug use within the football team.

San Luis Obispo police are looking into allegations that the motive for the Sunday’s robbery could have something to do with the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. If the robbery is determined to be drug related, it would be the second time in a year that Cal Poly football team has been linked to drug crime that involved a firearm.

“Illegal drugs and criminal activity have absolutely no place at Cal Poly,” Armstrong says in his statement. “They are anathema to student success, the Mustang Way and the expectations we hold for all members of the Cal Poly family.”

After the official criminal investigation concludes, Cal Poly’s administration plans to conduct an investigation into possible illegal drugs and criminal activity within the football program and on campus. In addition, university officials are reviewing policies and procedures related to student conduct.

Plans have been made to expand drug testing to include all student athletes and to increase the number of drugs tested for. In the past, the university conducted random testing of student athletes for several drugs, but not Xanax.

Cal Poly football player’s Kristaan Ivory, 20, of Los Angeles; Cameron Akins, 19, of Monrovia; Cortland Fort, 20, of Fontana; Dominique Love, 19, of Poway; and Jake Brito, 18, of Cypress are schedule to be in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Aug. 25 for their arraignments.


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“After the official criminal investigation concludes, Cal Poly’s administration plans to conduct an investigation into possible illegal drugs and criminal activity within the football program and on campus.”


Code for: “Get your boys together coach and line up your stories”.


If somebody wants to know, just do it. Tipping your hand doesn’t appease the community but does tip the team to say the same thing.


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Its a shame the football team is now branded for the actions of a few. There are many benefits to having sports teams on the campus, seems silly to suggest scrapping them. If that the answer, I would think they would scrap the fraternities also because as rumor has it, there were drugs located in the house they were attempting to rob. The same argument can be made re fraternities on their value.


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Fraternities are not financially supported by the school, but football is


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Oh so drug use and armed robbery in the community is just fine as long as the school isnt paying?


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Did I say that? Are your English comprehension skills lacking?


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Well, if you are saying that football should be removed due to criminal behavior and/or drug use because the school pays for it and fraternities should NOT be removed because the school doesnt pay for it, I can pretty much comprehend what your message is. The point is to protect the community. What is kicking 100 student -athletes out of a program and ending it going to do if drugs and criminal activity are happening elsewhere in the community? And really, you dont have to be a smart azz


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I am not saying that at all. I was questioning the whole concept of spending big bucks on football in lieu of more academic pursuits. Drugs, guns and other low moral behavior are the same issue whether it is a football players or engineering students.


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I understand but you know the team brings in money by playing non conference teams – like 190K per game. Some players dont have scholarships so they are paying for school. And some players only have partial scholarships, they too are paying for part of their schooling.

What Im saying is, the whole program shouldnt suffer because of 5 bad players that made bad decisions.


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Cal poly spends more on it’s football program then it brings in, this is why they want to get to the higher divisions. Personally I just want the school to focus on academics, not sports.


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Going to check the students who are members of the football team? What is that around 100 students? How about checking the other 17,000 students if you really want to do your job instead of doing a PR job?


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There is no wondering how the minds in the middle east work when we watch our legal system fanatics (take away the money, cured). Yes we have to avoid the feeder frenzy mindset but we can’t afford to pay for stupid, especially when associated with higher learning.


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Huh?


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I agree, huh is the best statement when comparing gladiators, lawyers and academics.


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How about we cut to the chase and just get rid of the whole football program and use those resources to educate more citizens in engineering, architecture, science, math, English and other academic subjects. I like football, but really what benefit does a football program provide to the students who are here to learn and study?


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You knee-jerk folks who want to toss out the football program because of what a few players have done never cease to amaze. High-profile sports programs are not the be all and end all of a school but they are indeed a part. By your reasoning, isoslo, let’s dump the Rose Parade float committee, the business club, along with any others that don’t benefit students outside that specific field (in other words, pretty much all of them). To some extent, all such extra-curricular groups require either funding and/or faculty time and involvement focused only upon a select portion of the student body. And I have a strong hunch I’d win by betting there are some undesirable elements in other groups, as well. Strong sports programs build a lot into the students who participate and provide long-lasting benefits. Yes, it hurts when bozos such as these five run afoul of the law, morality, and common sense, but try to dial back your emotions just a bit before you mash down on that ol’ “send button.”


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Wow, SloNative46, looks like you’re the one who should “dial back your emotions just a bit.” How about let’s have you take a moment and refresh our memories about all the Cal Poly Rose Bowl float committee and business club members who’ve been arrested for drug/gun/burglary/robbery incidents?


And while we’re at it, how about let’s compare the cost of the Cal Poly football program and related facilities to the cost of the Rose Bowl float committee and the business club?


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Wow lots of feeling there Native. What benefit does high profile football provide to the school and its students? Rose parade is a joint effort from the agriculture school and the engineering school, the business club is a no cost group of people meeting to discuss their field of study. Go look at the budget of how much is spent on the football program versus any other sport or extra-curricular program. My emotions are very much in check but you may want to examine your own.


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WHY should “high-profile sports programs” be part of a institution of higher learning? I certainly see the benefit of intramural sports and “low-profile” sports programs. However the “higher-profile” a school get in sports, the more muck it must slop through and that muck gets on everything including the school’s reputation.


Poly made its reputation through hands-on academics and not as a party school or a big-time sports school. You claim that “strong sports programs” produce “long lasting benefits.” Like what exactly?


When I look at a school like Caltech (arguably the finest engineering school in CA) which has long thrived despite no intercollegiate athletics programs at all, it does make me wonder if Poly should simply intercollegiate eliminate sports?


You mention the float committee and the business club — neither of which require the recruiting of thugs into our community. Neither of which have ever reflected poorly on Poly. Your analogy fails.


I think Armstrong should give real thought to killing the football program at Poly.


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Yup, I agree. That ridiculous Al Moriarty scoreboard sign, now these last two drug/gun incidents. I like football too, or at least used to. Heck, I even played football. But it looks like it’s time for Cal Poly to drop football altogether. Either that or just downgrade the program all the way to non-scholarship Division III.


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Perhaps a grand jury would be more well suited to conduct such an investigation.


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Too bad Cal Poly chose out of town THUGS and didn’t sign locals to those 5 positions


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We have lot’s of inshape young men all around SLO, what makes these young men THUGS?


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They are ‘thugs’ because they robbed someone with a gun. What do you mean “what makes these young men THUGS?” Being in shape has nothing to do with anything.


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What makes them thugs? Isn’t it obvious?


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By conducting the investigation, Cal Poly will control the findings – perfect!


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Oh well this is just perfect Jeffrey, now we’ll have NO players. Sheesh.


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