NCAA Re-Opening Drug Test Tampering Case of LSU Cornerback Kristian Fulton
There is still a shot the top-rated cornerback of the class of 2016 can take the field next season for LSU.
Kristian Fulton, the Tigers corner who was suspended for two years after tampering with a performance-enhancing drug test, is having his case re-opened by the NCAA, Fulton's lawyer Don Jackson told Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.
According to Jackson, new evidence to the case is the reason behind the NCAA's decision. New York-based forensic science practice, The Forensic Panel, discovered the NCAA's testing procedure in Fulton's case lacked a "valid chain of custody," meaning there was something wrong with the transfer of the physical test sample.
Fulton, who played only three games for LSU in 2016 due to a fractured right ring finger, was caught trying to use another person's urine as his own during a drug test in February 2017. Fulton was only being tested for PEDs, but he claims he was not aware of that and feared that he was going to fail the test because he smoked marijuana two days prior.
The NCAA 730-day ban from competition for attempting to tamper with or tampering with a drug test was applied to Fulton even though his test for PEDs came back clean.
Fulton used his redshirt for the 2017 season, but if he remains suspended for 2018, he will just miss out on one of his three remaining years of elibility and return for the 2019 campaign with two seasons of eligibility remaining. According to Dellenger, a hearing should be scheduled in the next few days.
