Eastern Progress 1985-1986

Amy Wolf
1986 unpublished
The Kentucky House of Rsprsssn-tativae p-id a bill Tu-day which would suspend the scholarship of any athlete convicted of possession or use of illegal drugs. However, since Fnday is the last day for bills to be approved and this bill was not considered by the Senate Education Committee, which met for the last time Wednes-day, the future of House Bill 811 is bleak. The bill passed the House 89-0 and requested that the governing board of each university develop regulations concerning athletic
more » ... ts-in-aid to include specified penalties for an athlete convicted of illegal possession or use of a controlled substance. The primary sponsor of the bill. Rep. Pearl Ray LeFevers. R Kettle Island, said: "It is important because we're spending in our state universities, 16.6 million on scholarship funds in athletics. £± '86 B GENERAL ASSEMBLY equitable fashion. "Our purpose is to rehabilitate before it becomes a hard and fast habit, rather than to try to be vindictive ," Combs said. Football coach Roy Kidd said he believed the problem should be handled internally, not by state scholarship He said he did not know of any major problems with drug abuse in athletic programs at this time. "I just thought up the idea myself. I'm s sports fan and I've seen professional athletes being arrested." Another sponsor of the bill. Rep. Clarence Naland, R-Irvine, said the bill could deter drug problems for some student athletes. He said at this time, alcohol related offenses and people on academic scholarship would not be affected by the bill. University athletic director Donald Combs said he had not heard about the legislation, but felt it unfairly singled out athletes and did not approach the problem in an legislation. I say, in most cases, our situs-tion would be to dismiss the player. It's one of my rules. Oeraldine Polvino, volleyball coach at the university, also said the bill unfairly singled out athletes. "My initial reaction is that it should pertain to all students, instead of athletes," Polvino said. She said she would prefer to see more productive avenues taken for the first conviction, including community service. "I think we face more of an alcohol problem than drugs on campus. Our kids may be experimenting. If there is any use, it's probably a 'dare' kind of activity." she said.
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