RU Athletics introduces more lenient marijuana rules
The new policy applies to all intercollegiate sports, including football
Rutgers Athletics has announced they’re changing their policy regarding drug use. According to NJ.com, the new rules include disciplinary and rehabilitative measures for all athletes testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, and lightened penalties for marijuana usage.
The previous drug policy covered every sport except football and had the same penalties for steroid and marijuana violations.
It also allowed the Athletics Director to determine if a football player required a suspension of up to two weeks for the first failed test.Under the new policy, suspension periods increase with a second and third violation while a fourth calls for a dismissal from the team.
Football players will now be included in the general drug policy
This new drug policy shows different penalties of PEDs and marijuana.
Athletes who fail but then get treated without any more failed drug tests for a year can have the violation expunged before they leave Rutgers.
Head coaches of each sport now have authority to institute their own rules, possibly being more severe than those of the new policy. They can request to drug test new athletes but arriving players testing positive for marijuana will not receive a violation.
The Athletics director will determine the percentage a player will sit out during games, and can also deviate from the penalties in rare circumstances.
Though Rutgers can enforce this new policy, players will be subject to additional screenings when participating in Big 10 games and NCAA championships.
Last month, Rutgers was slammed with seven violations by the NCAA, including one to fail to penalize 30 football players with positive drug tests.
The full list of punishments for each violation can be found here.