Ole Miss has formally set star guard Marshall Henderson's suspension at three games stemming from multiple drug tests he reportedly failed over the summer.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Henderson will sit out the Rebels' first exhibition game, their regular season opener the following weekend and their first two SEC games in January. Marshall was banned from the program indefinitely in early July.
Yahoo! previously reported that Henderson's suspension was preceded by multiple failed drug tests and a return to the hard-partying lifestyle once the Rebels were ousted from the 2012-13 NCAA tournament in the round of 32. The Rebels were so concerned about his behavior they set up a phone call between him and Chris Herren during which a series of ground rules were clearly laid out for the senior star to be able to return to the program. A former NCAA star, Herren's brief NBA career flamed out after he was arrested seven times.
Henderson's checkered history dates back to his days as a high school star and he was arrested for using counterfeit money to buy marijuana. In college, he spent time in prison in spring 2012 after violating his probation by testing positive for marijuana, cocaine and alcohol.
"When basketball is not there, it's always been a bad time for me," Henderson recently told reporters. "I still wonder how things just got out of control. I was thinking I was above everything, which is crazy because I've never thought that way before.I'm like, "Well, I'm not a professional, so I don't get paid, so why is partying when the season is over frowned upon? Why do I have to be held to a higher standard? These people I'm with -- future doctors, lawyers, businessmen -- they don't have to take a drug test. Why do I? I just kind of created this unrealistic stuff in my head."
Henderson also became college basketball's most polarizing player last season because of his habit of taunting opposing fans, whether it was Gator-chomping down the court at Florida, thumping his chest in front of the Auburn student section or flipping off the entire arena after an NCAA tournament loss to LaSalle.
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