| FTBL Tell Oregon's Mark Helfrich the NCAA also drug-tested Alabama before the CFB Playoff

Helfrich said he was told the Ducks were the only playoff team tested by the NCAA. Not true, but he's right about the need to level the drug-testing playing field.

It appears Oregon coach Mark Helfrich was misinformed. Seems the playing field wasn't tilted against his team in a significant way going into the first College Football Playoff.

Oregon wasn't the only one of the four playoff teams to have some of its players randomly drug-tested by the NCAA before the playoffs.

An Alabama spokesperson told AL.com today that Crimson Tide players were randomly drug-tested before the playoffs by the NCAA. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported that, according to a source, the NCAA drug-tested all four playoff teams.

The subject became an issue for Oregon after wide receiver Darren Carrington reportedly failed an NCAA drug test for marijuana and was suspended for the championship game loss to Ohio State. In addition, under NCAA rules, he could be suspended for half of this season, although Oregon has appealed that penalty.

As reported by Oregonlive.com, Helfrich told a small group of reporters at Pac-12 Media Days late last week that "he has been told that Oregon was the only one of four playoff teams whose players were randomly drug-tested."

If true, it would've and should've been a scandal. If true, Helfrich should've been shouting about that injustice from the highest mountain in Oregon. If true, it would've put a shadow over the first year of the College Football Playoff.

Losing Carrington, who caught seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the semifinal win over FSU, clearly hurt Oregon in the title game loss to Ohio State.

But even though Helfrich was wrong on that point, he was absolutely right about a larger subject. Something has to be done about the disparity between the more punitive penalties for failed NCAA-administered drug tests and the far more lenient sanctions for failed school-sponsored tests.

Fail a drug test for marijuana given by your school, and the first positive test usually gets you sent to counseling. Fail a drug test for marijuana given by the NCAA, and the first positive can get you suspended for half a season.

That's as mixed as a message can get, especially as states such as Oregon have legalized some recreational use of marijuana.

To the NCAA's credit, it's exploring whether to soften the penalties for the use of recreational drugs such as marijuana while keeping a hard line against the use of performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids.

The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport proposed last December to eliminate testing for street drugs at NCAA championships in favor of a more educational approach. The committee withdrew the proposal after it was rejected by the Division II and III Management Councils.

"Our recommendation this past December was made to strengthen the NCAA drug-testing program for performance-enhancing substances and to develop a shared model of deterrence for recreational drug use with a focus on educational programs instead of a traditional testing model," said Brant Berkstresser, committee chair and head athletic trainer at Harvard University, in a story on NCAA.org. "The committee pulled the proposal until we can develop the foundation of those educational programs, which we will bring back to all three divisions at a later date."

It's unfortunate for Helfrich that the potential shift in the NCAA's approach may not happen in time to help Carrington and the Ducks, but it's important for the Oregon coach to understand the NCAA didn't single out the Ducks before the playoffs.

It's even more important to adopt his suggestion of leveling the playing field on this subject. The current imbalance between the drug policies of individual schools and the NCAA is a joke.

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