Written by
The Sports Network
Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Police made a drug bust at Texas Christian
University on Wednesday morning, a sting which included the arrest of four
football players.
The six-month investigation by Fort Worth and TCU Campus Police resulted in 17
students being taken into custody. The football players arrested are:
linebacker Tanner Brock, offensive lineman Ty Horn, defensive back Devin
Johnson and defensive lineman D.J. Yendrey.
The names of all four players have been removed from the roster on the team's
official website.
Brock, an All-American candidate, missed almost the entire 2011 season due to
injury. The junior led TCU in tackles (106) in 2010.
TCU head football coach Gary Patterson issued the following statement:
"There are days people want to be a head football coach, but today is not one
of those days. As I heard the news this morning, I was first shocked, then
hurt and now I'm mad.
"Under my watch, drugs and drug use by TCU's student-athletes will not be
tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff. Period. Our program is
respected nationally for its strong ethics and for that reason the players
arrested today were separated from TCU by the university. I believe strongly
that young people's lives are more important than wins or losses.
"This situation isn't unique to TCU -- it is a global issue that we all have
to address. This isn't just about bad decisions made by a small percentage of
my team. It is about a bigger issue across this country and world.
"As a coach, I do the best I can to educate members of my team. We have
programs in place that teach student-athletes about what they should and
shouldn't do and how to be successful in life. I talk to them about how to be
students and upstanding men that uphold the TCU name and its traditions.
"At the end of the day, though, sometimes young people make poor choices. The
Horned Frogs are bigger and stronger than those involved."
The Horned Frogs, who have been a member of the Mountain West Conference, are
set to join the Big 12 later this year.
The arresting officer, university police chief Steve McGee, revealed during a
press conference that the drugs being sold in "hand-to-hand" sales included
marijuana, cocaine, acid, ecstacy and prescription drugs. Students were
arrested in different campus locations. Some of the students were members of
fraternities.
TCU chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr. issued the following statement
in a release:
"TCU has never before experienced a magnitude of student arrests such as this.
In fact, Campus Police records show only five student arrests related to drug
law violations in recent years. I have asked our vice chancellor for student
affairs, Dr. Kathy Cavins-Tull, to examine whether any new programs or
procedures need to be implemented to curtail this type of behavior in the
future. The Fort Worth Police Department also has offered to help in these
efforts.
"Today's events have forever changed the lives of the involved students, and
we hope they will find a healthy way to move forward. Also, the next couple of
weeks will be tough for the TCU family. There is no doubt that it will hurt to
see our name associated with this type of behavior. But we must not allow this
moment to define us. We must remember that we are overwhelmingly a community
of dedicated students, faculty and staff and focused on changing the world
through our collective work and commitment to leadership."
The Sports Network