Celina Oseguera
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Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong sent out a statement Tuesday afternoon concerning the attempted robbery at the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity house, saying the university will investigate whether a connection between illegal drugs and the university’s football team exists.
“As soon as that process is complete — and through consultation with University Police, city police and the county’s Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office — Cal Poly will conduct a thorough examination into possible illegal drugs and criminal activity within our football program and on campus,” the statement said.
According to an article by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, at least one witness to the crime mentioned the drug Xanax being a factor.
Armstrong also addressed the possible connection between Sunday’s attempted robbery and the shooting of ex-football player Geoffrey Hyde in 2013. Hyde was shot in what police said may have been a drug deal gone bad.
“Information police have provided about last weekend’s robbery bears striking commonalities with a 2013 incident involving one of our former student-athletes,” the statement said.
Because of the possible relation, Armstrong proposed expanding drug testing and revising the drug policy currently used by the football team.
“We need to determine if a broader problem exists in our football program,” the statement said. “To that end, we will expand drug testing to include all members of the football team. This will screen for a wider array of illegal substances than has been covered by the Athletics Department’s existing, NCAA-guided random testing program for all student-athletes.”
Cal Poly is assisting the San Luis Obispo Police Department in the attempted robbery investigation, as well as working on its own internal investigation, to look at what student conduct violations were made through the incident, Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier said.
The five Cal Poly football players arrested as suspects will have their first court date at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Aug. 25, chief deputy district attorney Jerret Gran said.
At the court hearing, the students will have the opportunity to state their pleas and hear the charges filed against them.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Xanax’s medical usage.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated the first court date would be Aug. 28. It will actually be on Aug. 25.