Four freshmen members of the Tiger football team were accused of possessing “alcohol bottles†at the University of Memphis’ new $53 million dorm on Jan. 22.
A U of M Campus Police Services report written by Officer Chanacy Donaldson said that the players were in one of the common areas at the new Centennial Place, which opened at the start of the semester.
 “The four students in the suite did not appear intoxicated,†Donaldson wrote in the report. “Only one denied drinking any alcohol.â€
Amber Bush, an assistant area coordinator at U of M’s Residence Life and Dining Services, called campus police at around 10 p.m. after she found the alcohol bottles, according to the police report.
Three of the students listed in the campus police report are underage including offensive linemen Keenen Davis, 20; tight end Scottie Dill, 19; and wide receiver Tony Pollard, 18. Linebacker Steven Enis, 22, was the only player in the incident who was legal drinking age, according to the report.
The report did not say which players admitted to drinking alcohol.
These students will receive the same punishment any undergrad student caught with alcohol would receive, said Tammy DeGroff, interim assistant athletic director for U of M.
“There may be some internal stuff with the team – they may have to run extra laps –but they would receive the same punishment that any undergrad would get on campus,†DeGroff said.
Any additional punishment aside from what the U of M’s Office of Student Conduct doles out would be up to football coach Mike Norvell.
“It will be a question that coach Norvell will determine,†DeGroff said. “This was literally coach Norvell’s first day back after three weeks of being on the road recruiting.â€Â
The U of M does not allow alcohol on campus. However, it is not a crime to bring alcohol, explained Ryan Van Dusen, associate dean and director of U of M’s Office of Student Conduct.
“It’s a Tennessee Board or Regents policy that’s been adopted by the University of Memphis,†Van Dusen said.
The punishment for bringing alcohol on campus is mild for first time offenders, Van Dusen said.
“We try to be educational,†he said. “We place the student on censure or probations. We want to help them through their decision making process. We try to be as consistent as possible with all of our students.â€
However, students caught more than once can be suspended, Van Dusen said. “If it’s an egregious act that leads to hospitalization or violence it can go higher than that.â€
As of Thursday, the Office of Student Conduct hadn’t dealt with the four players. Though, punishment details will likely not be made public.
None of the athletes caught will have arrest records with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office or Memphis Police Department, said Captain Kevin Langellier of campus police.
“All of these students will be referred to student conduct,†Langellier said. “No arrests were made in this case.â€
Students caught drinking on campus are not usually arrested and those found intoxicated are sent to a detox facility, Langellier said.
“They are held and watched by a medical staff,†he said. “After they are sober, they go through some counseling to see if they have a substance abuse problem.â€
Campus police allegedly caught two other student residents intoxicated at Centennial Place during the first week of the dorm being opened, according to campus police reports.Â
Both students were underage and taken to a detox facility downtown, according to the campus police reports. Neither student was arrested.
David Andrew, 18, a midfielder for the Tigers men’s soccer team, was allegedly intoxicated at Centennial on Jan. 23, according to campus police report written by Officer Jermale Taylor.
“The resident appeared under the influence and was very belligerent and loud,†Taylor wrote. “He was taken into custody and transported to detox.â€
Grace Delanzo, a student resident advisor, called the campus police about Andrew at around 2 a.m. according to the campus police report.
Underage students caught intoxicated are taken to a detox facility downtown where a medical staff monitors them.
The first student found allegedly intoxicated at Centennial was 18-year-old freshman on Jan. 17, just two days before the spring semester began, according to a report written by Officer Castell Jordan Jr. of the campus police.
A resident advisor, Aaliyah Nicholson, 20, called police just before 2 p.m. and said that the woman was intoxicated, according to the police report.
The officer spoke to the woman in the dorm’s lobby.
“She had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and was unsteady on her feet,†Officer Castell wrote in the reporter. “She advised that she had several vodka drinks and other missed drinks during the night.â€
A couple of beers sit on the window sill of an unnamed students dorm in the new Centennial Place.Â
