Texas Christian University quarterback Casey Pachall's recent suspension due to alcohol abuse has drawn attention to a growing trend among college athletes.
Pachall's arrest came eight months after he admitted to police that he smoked marijuana and failed a drug test just two weeks before his roommate was arrested in a drug sting operation. He was previously arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
At the time of Pachall's suspension, he was fifth in the nation in passing efficiency.
Dave Ferguson, host of "Beyond the Cheers," contends the number of students with drug and alcohol issues has reached critical proportions, as the pressure to succeed in college sports often pushes student athletes into substance abuse.
"I think the higher up the ladder you get of being ripe for the picking for perhaps a … career, the more stresses and pressures are laid upon the athlete," he offers. "So they do whatever's necessary to make in their own mind what will get them to that level of performing better than they are currently."
Though a large majority of students have not used banned drugs, a study released by the NCAA earlier this year shows use of social drugs and alcohol has increased since 2005, with 83.1 percent of respondents admitting to drinking alcohol in the previous 12 months.
"Given that some of the culture of colleges and universities does have a mix of substance abuse and use, players unfortunately succumb to that a little quicker than an average student would," Ferguson adds.
The NCAA's report also showed 38.8 percent of respondents reported consuming six or more drinks in a single sitting.