Radakovich: No signs of a drug problem with Hutts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/20/08
Georgia Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich said Saturday that all student-athletes at the school are drug-tested at least once per school year, and there were no signs that former baseball player Michael Hutts had drug or alcohol problems before his death.
Hutts, a junior pitcher, was found dead in his apartment by roommate and baseball teammate Ryan Tinkoff on the afternoon of April 11.
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In a police report, Tinkoff said that Hutts began drinking around 8 p.m. the previous evening, and that an acquaintance known to use heroin — "possibly with Mr. Hutts," according to the police report — arrived at the apartment about 11 p.m.
The official cause of death has not been established, and toxicology results are not expected for three weeks.
"We did [previously] test the baseball team, and everything came out fine," Radakovich said while attending Tech's spring football game. He would not say when the team was tested. "Each one of our student-athletes will be tested at least once annually, and then it's a random draw after that."
Radakovich did not list the drugs tested for, "because I'll probably leave one out," but said it's a combination of performance-enhancing substances and recreational or street drugs.
As for what happens when an athlete tests positive, Radakovich said in a separate statement, "There are a series of punitive sanctions that are imposed in the event of a positive drug test, and in each case counseling and education is a cornerstone."
Radakovich said there were no signs of a drug problem with Hutts, or his teammates, before his death, but Radakovich would not disclose the results of any Tech athlete's drug test.
"No, not at all. As we said when it first happened, this was a shock," Radakovich said. "Mark was a good student and was really functioning well as a pitcher on the baseball team. There was really no awareness on anyone's part, no stimulus that said, 'Hey, we've got a problem here.' "
Hutts' father, Mark Hutts, said Friday that he was aware of the possibility that his son had used drugs.
"We knew there had been some experimentation," Hutts said.
Radakovich said they are cooperating with a police investigation into Hutts' death.
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