Minnesota Under Prescription Pill Probe

Minnesota Under Prescription Pill Probe

The Minnesota Gopher wrestling program is under fire for allegedly failing to report prescription drug abuse to authorities.FOX 9 in Minneapolis first repor

May 26, 2016 by Willie Saylor
Minnesota Under Prescription Pill Probe
The Minnesota Gopher wrestling program is under fire for allegedly failing to report prescription drug abuse to authorities.

FOX 9 in Minneapolis first reported on Tuesday that four Gophers were under investigation for dealing Xanax, a prescription medication for anxiety.

Yesterday, the Star Tribune cited sources indicating that Gopher wrestlers were in possession of 2,500 Xanax pills, which they sold from dormitories.

Long-time head coach, J Robinson, is also taking heat. Statements made by an anonymous Gopher wrestler and text messages obtained by the Star Tribune suggest that, instead of going to law enforcement or contacting university officials, Robinson attempted to deal with the matter in-house.

According to the wrestler, Robinson said, "‘It’s Easter weekend. I’ll be in my office Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you’re involved, come and tell me. If you have any pills, bring them to my office and I’ll dispose of them, and I’ll give you amnesty.’ ”

The texts purportedly show that Robinson instructed the wrestlers involved to write an essay on their indiscretions. “Remember that paper is due on my desk by tomorrow evening. #1 What emotion you’re feeling by getting caught, by letting yourself, your teammates, your parents down, how did it feel and do you want to feel that way again? #2 what did you learn from this? 3 what are you going to do different. Your plan so does not happen again.”

Robinson, a three-time National Coach of the Year, led the Gophers to all three of their NCAA team titles since accepting the role as head coach in 1986.

The story has since been picked up by ESPN, The Washington Post, Deadspin, and Bar Stool Sports, among others.

We'll have more updates on this story as they become available.