Is this suspension the final waterloo for Waterloo

More than a decade ago, the University of Waterloo Warriors, of the Black and Gold, were basking in their 1999 Yates Cup victory over their crosstown rival Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 32-20, yet now today, a year after tying for sixth with Guelph and out from playoff contention in their conference, the club has been officially suspended from Ontario University Athletics and Canadian Interuniversity Sport play by its own school administration, how did it all come to pass?


Chiefly, a detailed investigation by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport has revealed nine potential anti doping infractions by Warriors football players from sixty two urine and blood samples taken, possibly the biggest steroid investigation in Canadian university history, all of which stemmed from the arrest of thereafter suspended receiver Nathan Zettler for possession and trafficking of anabolic steroids, as well as facing additional charges for breaking and entering, possession of stolen property and breaching a a probation order which banned him from campus, this began an internal molehunt by the administration that led to where it tis at currently. This investigation led by the administration at Waterloo brought out four players admitted to steroid use, three others testing positive, one more refusing to be tested completely plus another pending further review by officials and police, those amongst them, who have waived their rights to a hearing then acknowledge they have committed a doping infraction, will be granted the ability to play again in two years, a wait of just one more year over their fellow clean teammates, who too have been penalized though none of them are guilty of the crime or have done anything wrong to deserve this punishment. With the chief executive officer of Canadian Interuniversity Sport Marg Mcgregor calling this investigation the most significant doping issue ever in the union's history, believing their "doping control program needs to be strengthened to ensure a level playing field and protect the rights of the vast majority of student athletes who respect the rules and compete are clean", one has to wonder if that is even possible anymore, especially in light of the fact the O.U.A. and C.I.S. do not even actively encourage scholarship recruitment and those who graduate rarely get shots at the professional Canadian Football League ranks, let alone higher, making the reasons for one to risk losing the love of just playing the game even that much more majorly bizarre.


So, is this suspension the final waterloo for Waterloo, or can the billed smartest team in O.U.A. and C.I.S. football do a Belgian comeback that would make even Wellington's domination of Napoleon pale in comparison, I guess we have one whole full year to find out, the question is who still will care about the Warriors and be waiting that long for the return of Black and Gold football and its $1 million plus refurbished Fieldturf on campus for it to actually matter?