A high school in upstate New York has forfeited the remainder of its football games after several players were kicked off the team for taking prescription painkillers.
The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports that seven players on the football team at Geneseo High School in Geneseo, N.Y., are believed to have taken Oxycontin—an opioid typically prescribed for severe pain —before last week's game. The pills were apparently taken from a parent without his or her knowledge or permission.
"Due to the number of student-athletes involved and the serious nature of this incident, pursuant to our Athletic Code and New York State Public High School Athletic Association standards, the remainder of the varsity football season will be forfeited," the Geneseo Central School District announced on its website.
Geneseo Police Chief Eric Osganian says the department is investigating the allegations. The students suspected of being involved in the incident are 15 and 16 years old, police say.
Without the students who were dismissed, the school does not have enough eligible players to field a team. State athletic association rules say a team needs at least 16 eligible players.
Geneseo schools superintendent Tim Hayes said it's in the best interest of students and the program to abandon the varsity season rather than call up junior varsity players and put them at risk of injury.
