Clemson’s projected starting tight end Braden Galloway and backup offensive lineman Zach Giella will miss the 2019 regular season.
The pair tested positive for ostarine, along with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, near the end of 2018, and got suspended for the College Football Playoff.
Clemson appealed, claiming that neither player knowingly ingested a banned substance. The school also argued that the test results indicated trace amounts likely found in tainted supplements.
The NCAA denied their appeal, The State reported Friday.
“The student-athletes repeatedly have stated that they have no knowledge of how Ostarine entered their bodies. Their assertions were confirmed by a polygraph examination taken by each,” said attorney Robert M. Ariail, who represented both players, in a statement.
The attorney also said both players had negative tests for banned substances in April 2018, October 2018, January 2019 and February 2019.
Ostarine is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is not legally for sale in the United States.
The NCAA suspension is one calendar year for these types of offenses, as you may recall when Florida QB Will Grier received the same ban in 2015, eventually transferring to West Virginia.
The State reported that it is currently unclear whether the players would be eligible for postseason games, since their positive tests occurred in December.
Galloway managed four catches for 33 yards and a touchdown in Clemson’s spring game and was expected to replace Milan Richard as the starting tight end. That role instead will slide to J.C. Chalk.