Getty Images College football players don’t get paid, but they do get room, board, tuition, fees, and (most recently) snacks. Clemson players also may be getting something else — and it ain’t hamberders. In a stunning revelation from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, three players who tested positive for ostarine before the December 29 semifinal win over Notre Dame may have gotten the banned substance from . . . Clemson. “I mean, there’s a chance that it could come from anything,” Swinney said, via the Charleston Post & Courier, regarding the possibility that the school gave the substance to the players, who were suspended for the 2018 playoffs and all of the 2019 season. “They’re going to test everything and look at everything. And that’s the problem. As you really look at this stuff, it could be a contaminant that came from anything, that was something that was cleared and not a problem, and all of a sudden, it becomes there was something.” Swinney and Clemson also may be setting up a defense based on the notion that the players were given an approved supplement that was inadvertently tainted with a banned PED. “You can research articles, there are a lot of times when things are cleared and end up having a contaminant in it because of where it was processed, the factory it came from, whether there were other things there,” Swinney said. “So there’s a lot of that. There’s a case out there that there was a contaminant at a testing lab. There are lots of different things and the legal people are involved in that.” There are indeed a lot of different things that can happen, including the most obvious thing: A deliberate attempt to cheat that resulted in the potential cheater being caught. But if Clemson goes all in with the “our NCAA-approved supplement was spiked” defense (which is still better than “it was me . . . no, wait, it wasn’t me”), Clemson could be admitting that far more than three guys had ostarine in their systems — which could at some point result in Dabo dropping that trophy into a box and sending it to Tuscaloosa, attention Nick Saban.<doc-sep>Clemson football medical personnel might have inadvertently provided performance-enhancing drugs to players, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney acknowledged in a report published Saturday. Three Clemson players — star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, back-up tight end Braden Galloway and reserve offensive lineman Zach Giella — tested positive for ostarine in a test administered in December by the NCAA. All three sat out both the Cotton Bowl vs. Notre Dame and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game vs. Alabama. Speaking to the Post and Courier of Charleston, Swinney said school officials still aren’t sure how the players ingested the ostarine, which boosts muscle growth and prevents fatigue. It’s possible the players got the banned substance in supplements that team trainers believed were legal under NCAA rules, he said. “Oh yeah, I mean, there’s a chance that it could come from anything,” Swinney said. “They’re going to test everything and look at everything. And that’s the problem. As you really look at this stuff, it could be a contaminant that came from anything, that was something that was cleared and not a problem, and all of a sudden, it becomes there was something.” Though Lawrence left school after the season to enter the NFL draft, Galloway and Giella are also suspended for all of 2019. The three players were among 22 on the Tigers’ roster tested at random by the NCAA prior to the College Football Playoff. Clemson, which beat Alabama 44-16 to win the national championship, has appealed the penalties to the NCAA.<doc-sep>Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney seems to think his players might have consumed banned substances by accident. Multiple players for the Tigers tested positive for the banned substance ostarine shortly before the college football playoff, and they all missed the game. Judging from some recent comments, Dabo seems to think there might not have been any malicious intent. (RELATED: NCAA Reveals If Clemson Players Will Remain Suspended) The legendary college coach told The Post and Courier the following in an article published Saturday: Oh yeah, I mean, there’s a chance that it could come from anything. They’re going to test everything and look at everything. And that’s the problem. As you really look at this stuff, it could be a contaminant that came from anything, that was something that was cleared and not a problem, and all of a sudden, it becomes there was something. I love this line of reasoning from my guy Dabo, and he should stick to it no matter what. I don’t care if those guys ingested ostarine on purpose or not. Once you get caught for that, you have to hold the line at all costs. Besides, they still won the title without their suspended players. It’s not like the NCAA had any impact on the absolute beatdown Clemson gave Alabama by putting three of the Tigers on the bench. At this point, Clemson has to pretty much throw out every and any excuse possible for why that drug was in the system of players. Pretty much, this is now a run out the clock situation. They just need to get to next season, and have this whole issue just get lost in the news cycle. (RELATED: Clemson Beats Alabama For National Title) Now, is Dabo talking about it a good idea? Probably not, but at least he’s swinging for the fences with his excuses. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clemson Football (@clemsonfb) on Jan 18, 2019 at 3:12pm PST Besides, there isn’t anything that’s taking away that national title trophy at this point. Go, Dabo, go!<doc-sep>Clemson may have mistakenly provided performance-enhancing drugs to players, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney acknowledged to The Post and Courier on Saturday. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, offensive lineman Zach Giella and tight end Braden Galloway failed an NCAA drug test ahead of the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Notre Dame in December and did not play in the postseason after testing positive for ostarine, a banned substance. “Oh yeah, I mean, there’s a chance that it could come from anything,” Swinney said when asked if it’s possible the players ingested ostarine in a Clemson-issued supplement. “They’re going to test everything and look at everything. And that’s the problem. As you really look at this stuff, it could be a contaminant that came from anything, that was something that was cleared and not a problem, and all of a sudden, it becomes there was something.” It's been over a month since Clemson appealed the three player suspensions to the NCAA and the university is still awaiting word on how the banned substance made its way to players. Clemson officials still aren't sure how ostarine entered the players' systems. Swinney told The Post and Courier that the process is out of his hands and that the university’s legal team is still looking into all possibilities, which includes the chance that Clemson gave the players something the athletic department thought was cleared by the NCAA. “It’s a huge undertaking, and I really have not been in that loop,” Swinney said of the appeal process, via The State. “I’ve gone and seen Dan maybe like a minute here and a minute there over the last several weeks. I now that they’re all working through that.” Lawrence has entered the 2019 NFL Draft while Galloway and Giella are ineligible to play in games (but can practice) until Clemson's appeal is complete. “You can research articles, there are a lot of times when things are cleared and end up having a contaminant in it because of where it was processed, the factory it came from, whether there were other things there," Swinney said, according to the Post and Courier. “So there’s a lot of that. There’s a case out there that there was a contaminant at a testing lab. There are lots of different things and the legal people are involved in that.” According to supplement journal MYNVFI.orgg, "ostarine is a product used to boost muscle growth and prevent muscle wasting, which is a result you would normally expect from steroids. However, Ostarine differs from traditional anabolic steroids in the way it affects your body. Most notably, with Ostarine you can avoid some of the most common unwanted side effects of steroids."<doc-sep>
Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney is speaking up in defense of several players accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs and saying that the school may have mistakenly given the substance to them, 247Sports reported. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, offensive lineman Zach Giella, and tight end Braden Galloway all failed an NCAA PED test as the players prepared for the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Notre Dame last December. All three tested positive for the banned muscle growth substance ostarine. The players were punished after the test results were reported, but Clemson appealed the suspensions meted out. “Oh yeah, I mean, there’s a chance that it could come from anything,” Swinney said of the test results. “They’re going to test everything and look at everything. And that’s the problem. As you really look at this stuff, it could be a contaminant that came from anything, that was something that was cleared and not a problem, and all of a sudden, it becomes there was something.” Clemson has not yet heard about its appeals and Swinney says that the whole situation is now out of his hands and in the hands of the school’s legal team. Clemson’s lawyers are looking into the possibility that the school gave the substance to the players, according to Swinney. “It’s a huge undertaking, and I really have not been in that loop,” Swinney said. “I’ve gone and seen Dan maybe like a minute here and a minute there over the last several weeks. I now that they’re all working through that.” Swinney also said that some supplements that players take might have “contaminants” in them. “You can research articles, there are a lot of times when things are cleared and end up having a contaminant in it because of where it was processed, the factory it came from, whether there were other things there,” Swinney said. “So there’s a lot of that. There’s a case out there that there was a contaminant at a testing lab. There are lots of different things, and the legal people are involved in that.” Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.