Drug testing of student-athletes is year-round. The NCAA conducts random drug testing of substances found on the "Banned Drug Classes" list. Student-athletes are encouraged to communicate any and all substances that they ingest with their athletic trainers as soon as possible.
Keep in mind, all nutritional supplements carry some risk of containing an NCAA banned substance because they're not well regulated and may be contaminated. Failure to inquire with your Sports Medicine staff prior to supplement use could result in a positive drug test.
REMEMBER, you, the student-athlete are ultimately responsible for everything you put into your body. Accidents do happen and penalties can be extremely severe, so be sure to check with the appropriate medical staff before any supplement or other drug use.
- Failure to report for testing will result in a positive test and the same consequences will apply
NCAA Consequence for a Positive Drug Test
Student-athletes who tests positive for a substance belonging to a banned drug class shall be declared ineligible for further participation in postseason and regular-season competition in accordance with the ineligibility provisions in Bylaw 18.4.1.5.1. The certifying institution may appeal to NCAA Competitive Safeguards Committee.
A student-athlete who tests positive in accordance with the testing methods authorized by the Executive Committee shall be charged with the loss of a minimum of one season of competition in all sports and shall remain ineligible for a period of one calendar year (365 days).
If a student-athlete, who tested positive for any drug other than a "street drug" as defined in Bylaw 31.2.3.4, tests positive a second time for the use of any drug, other than a "street drug", he or she shall lose all remaining regular-season and postseason eligibility in all sports. If the student-athlete tests positive a second time for the use of a "street drug", he or she shall be charged with the loss of a minimum of one additional season of competition in all sports and also shall remain ineligible for regular-season and postseason competition at least through the next calendar year.
Important Links and Resources
NCAA Drug-Testing Program
NCAA Drug-Testing Strategy
The NCAA Drug-Testing Program, along with clear policies and effective educational programs, contributes to a campus environment that supports healthy choices, fair competition and a positive environment for student-athletes. To support more effective performance-enhancing drug deterrence, the NCAA will continue to employ an enhanced drug-testing strategy for 2023-24, in which all NCAA Divisions I and II programs are subject to multiple short notice testing events throughout the year. This strategy provides a more unpredictable element to testing that is meant to increase both the real and perceived risk of being tested, thereby increasing deterrence from banned drug use.
Emerging Concerns
The trend of student-athletes testing positive for NCAA banned substances identified in contaminated supplements continues. The most commonly found during NCAA drug testing in 2020-21 were GW1516 Sulfoxide and GW1516 Sulfone. These substances fall into the category of hormone and metabolic modulators. LGD-4033 and Oral Turinabol were the most frequently found anabolic agents. These NCAA banned substances are included in the category of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) which means these drugs have effects similar to anabolic steroids.
Supplement Advisory
NCAA member institutions are required to educate student-athletes about banned drugs and the products that may contain them. Please note that each year student-athletes test positive while using nutritional/dietary supplements obtained from a “health food store” or via web-based services, a personal trainer, a friend or family member or others they trust. Because nutritional/dietary supplements do not have to prove purity, efficacy or safety, student-athletes take these at their own risk. Some of these products have banned ingredients on the labels, and some are contaminated or spiked with unlabeled banned substances, which when consumed can result in the loss of a student-athlete’s eligibility.
Before consuming any supplement, including vitamin and mineral supplement products, student-athletes are advised to first evaluate such products with the appropriate athletics staff. Student-athletes and athletics staff have access to Drug Free Sport AXIS, the only NCAA authorized service to check medications and supplement product labels for NCAA banned substances. Contact AXIS at 816-474-7321 or
dfsAXIS.com using the passwords ncaa1 (for Division I schools), ncaa2 (for Division II schools or ncaa3 (for Division III schools).
