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The indefinite suspension of men's basketball players Doug Wiggins and Jerome Dyson stemmed from an incident where both underage players were found in possession of alcohol.
Police approached a vehicle at 11:51 p.m. Thursday night in a parking lot off King Hill Road in Storrs, and found Wiggins and Dyson in possession of a bottle of cognac and a bottle of vodka. According to the Hartford Courant, UConn Police also found a small amount of marijuana at the scene, though no charges relating to marijuana were filed.
UConn Police spokesperson Major Ronald Blicher told the Courant that police would not charge Wiggins or Dyson with anything related to marijuana unless they could establish possession.
Dyson, 20, of Rockville, Md., was issued a citation for possession of alcohol by a minor and Wiggins, 20, of East Hartford, was issued a summons for operating a vehicle with a suspended license and possession of alcohol by a minor.
Neither was handcuffed or taken into custody.
According to Major Ronald Blicher of the UConn Police Department, the difference between the two charges is the summons issued to Wiggins requires a court appearance.
Dyson could possibly face a court date but will most likely receive a fine that can be handled through the mail.
According to the Courant, both players were subjected to a school-administered drug test, which is consistent with university policy for student-athletes. A source told the Courant that a positive test would be Wiggins' third.
The UConn student handbook states, "A student-athlete who tests positively for street drug use for the third time during his or her career at the University will be barred from practice and competition for the remainder of the academic year in which the third positive test result was obtained."
The current suspension is the second of the year for Wiggins. Earlier this season, Calhoun barred Wiggins from the locker room and team activities for not living up to team standards. However, he was still allowed to practice with the team and never missed a game.
Contact Justin Verrier at Justin.Verrier@UConn.edu.
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