NEW YORK CITY -- Syracuse University Coach Jim Boeheim says allegations of drug violations aren't affecting his players.
The head basketball coach talked to reporters after Syracuse beat UConn to move on in the Big East Tournament. He told reports this is "your thing," saying the media care about the issue more than the team itself.
A Yahoo! Sports report earlier this week alleged SU has been violating its own drug policy for years by letting players practice and play after testing positive for drugs. At the time, Boeheim said he didn't know about the issue. SU released a statement saying a possible issue with drug testing was reported to the NCAA.
During his post game news conference, Boeheim said the issue was reported five years ago, and SU has been waiting for the NCAA to finish its process. However, New York Times reporter Pete Thamel reports that the NCAA is disputing that claim. According to Thamel, the NCAA says the issue was self-reported by SU on October 27th, 2010.
Boeheim says the off the court scandal isn't hurting his players. "If things were bothering us we wouldn't be 31-1," Boeheim says, "nothing bothers us. We play. We come ready to play."
The Orange will face the Cincinnati Bearcats Friday night at 7pm at Madison Square Garden.
