Report - N.C.A.A. Investigates Syracuse Over Failed Drug Tests - NYTimes.com Syracuse announced Monday that the N.C.A.A. was investigating its men's basketball program after Yahoo Sports reported that at least 10 former players since 2001 had failed tests for a banned recreational substance or substances and that the program did not adhere to the university's drug policy when it came to disciplining them. The reported failed drug tests and lax enforcement coincided with a period when the Orange captured their first and only national championship under the Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim in 2003. The university said that the N.C.A.A."s inquiry does not involve any players on this season's team, which is 30-1 and ranked No. Boeheim declined to comment when reached on his cellphone. Daryl Gross, Syracuse's athletic director, did not return a message left on his cellphone. Yahoo, citing four "sources with intimate knowledge" of the Syracuse program, reported that the 10 players who failed drug tests were allowed to practice and play at times when they should have been suspended. Yahoo reported that Syracuse violated its drug policy in at least two areas: failing to properly count positive tests and playing ineligible players after they should have been suspended. "We self-reported issues with drug testing to the N.C.A.A., and there is currently an ongoing inquiry," Kevin Quinn, the senior vice president for public affairs at Syracuse, said in a statement. The inquiry does not involve any current S.U. student-athletes. To ensure the integrity of the ongoing process, we are unable to comment further at this time. The N.C.A.A. does not require its member universities to have their own drug-testing policy, but if one does have such a policy in place, it is required to follow it. The N.C.A.A. tests athletes at its championship events. If it is determined that Syracuse knowingly violated its own drug policies, the N.C.A.A. could invoke the "willful violators" clause, which allows the N.C.A.A. to reach beyond its four-year statute of limitations in order to levy sanctions. A willful violation is considered one that occurs during a pattern of deliberate rule-breaking. Word of the investigation came a day before the start of the Big East tournament, in which the Orange are the top seed. Syracuse plays its opener in the quarterfinals at noon on Thursday. Syracuse has dealt with off-the-court problems this season. In November, the longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine was fired amid allegations that he molested a former team ball boy and his brother. Fine has not been charged.