Dexter Lawrence’s immediate future hinges on the testing of a second sample.
Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence tested positive for the NCAA-banned substance ostarine, Dabo Swinney told reporters Monday. Offensive lineman Zach Giella and tight end Braden Galloway tested positive for the same drug, the coach said.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said NCAA notified DT Dexter Lawrence, OL Zach Giella & TE Braden Galloway they failed drug tests with sliver of ostarine. Players thought it was a joke at first. More clarity to come with B sample later in week
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 24, 2018
Galloway is part of a tight end-by-committee group behind starter Milan Richard. Giella is not on the two-deep. The Tigers face Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Playoff semifinal Saturday night in North Texas.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency explains what ostarine is:
Ostarine is the trademarked name for a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) that is not approved for human use or consumption in the U.S., or in any other country. In recent years, WADA has reported an increasing number of positive tests involving SARMs, and athletes who use these substances most likely obtain them through black market channels.
Research has shown that SARMs like ostarine have fewer androgenic properties, meaning they have less influence on the development and balance of male hormones, including testosterone. While they are not yet approved for human use, SARMs are of interest to the medical community because they might be effective at treating different health conditions without resulting in the negative side effects of steroids.
The USADA also says “only illegal” products contain ostarine. It’s on the NCAA’s banned-substances list as an “anabolic agent,” along with other SARMs.
Lawrence and his teammates’ immediate eligibility status comes down to how their urine tests on a second sample, called the “B” sample.
The NCAA Drug Testing Program has athletes provide two samples when they’re tested. If the first sample, the “A” sample, comes back positive, then Drug Free Sport (which administers the testing program for the NCAA) notifies the school. A testing lab then analyzes the “B” sample, and the results of that test are final (though they could be appealed). The double-test is supposed to be a way to weed out false positives that would get non-doping players punished.
So if Lawrence’s “B” sample comes back negative, there’s no problem here. If it comes back positive, though, he’ll immediately become ineligible under NCAA rules:
Upon notification of the sample B positive finding, the institution shall be required to declare the student-athlete ineligible, and the institution will be obligated to withhold the student-athlete from all intercollegiate competition.
The penalty for a positive PED test is one year. Lawrence is a junior and widely expected to leave Clemson after this year for the NFL Draft, where he could be a first-round pick. If the “B” sample is positive, he’d likely miss the Playoff, and that’d likely be all for him at Clemson. It could also pose a significant problem for him in his draft preparation.
The appellate process would take enough time that there’s no way Lawrence could play Saturday, which Clemson seems to understand. The NCAA has a mechanism for appeals to be heard quickly when an athlete’s next competition is “imminent,” but it’s also shown that it can take well over a year to sort out appeals of drug-related suspensions.
Dabo Swinney: NCAA letter 3 Clemson players including Dexter Lawrence said they had "a sliver. A trace. A fraction. This particular substance can come from anything. These three players have no clue ... how this has gotten in their system." https://t.co/SvzQOBOgZX
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 24, 2018
Another note on osterine from the USADA:
It’s also important to note that ostarine is not a permitted ingredient in dietary supplements. However, you should be aware that some dietary supplement manufacturers illegally put SARMs like ostarine in their products and sell them as “legal steroids” or “research only” chemicals. Moreover, they may omit ostarine from the label entirely, or use misleading names to confuse consumers. For example, ostarine may also be called enobosarm, MK-2866, or GTx-024.
Lawrence is a key part of a dominant Clemson defensive line.
That whole line (ends Austin Bryant Bryant and Clelin Ferrell, tackles Lawrence and Christian Wilkins) is elite, and it leads the country’s No. 1 defense by S&P+. Any of those players would be a huge loss, though the Tigers have the depth to still be hard to score against.
The Tigers have depth. Lawerence’s backup on the depth chart is sophomore Nyles Pinckney, a former four-star recruit. Senior DT Albert Huggins would also figure to be involved in replacing Lawrence. Both have played around 23 snaps per game, with Huggins playing a little more frequently over the course of the season.
Coordinator Brent Venables could also use different personnel packages to deal with Lawrence’s absence, if necessary. But by far the best outcome for everyone involved would be for the next sample for all of these players to come back negative.