Aztec Indicates That He Failed Cocaine Test

Anthony Conyers, a starting wide receiver for the San Diego State Aztecs, confirmed Saturday that he will miss Tuesday’s Holiday Bowl game against Iowa because he tested positive for drugs.

Conyers said it was “fairly accurate” that he tested positive for cocaine, which stays in one’s system for approximately two weeks.

He is the first National Collegiate Athletic Assn. player to be banned from postseason play for having cocaine in his system. Several other players have been banned for testing positive for steroids.

According to Conyers, the drugs in his system were consumed “days before” the tests were taken. Conyers said he had known players would be tested but was uncertain of the exact date.

“This is something that shouldn’t have happened,” Conyers said from his home in Concord, Calif. “For a while, my priorities lapsed. I was irresponsible and made a mistake. You have to live your own life and not do what others do when you get a little pressure. When you’re with a lot of people and they do something and you get caught up in the action, sometimes you don’t think like you should.”

Despite Conyers’ confession, San Diego State officials were still not giving details about his suspension.

“Even if Anthony has something to say, that’s his option,” Athletic Director Fred Miller said. “We respect that. From an institutional standpoint, we are best served if we say no comment.”

Saturday morning, Conyers, a senior, discussed the situation with his father, Joseph.

“He told me he tested positive for drugs,” Joseph Conyers said. “I guess I might’ve went a little berserk, if you want to call it that. I couldn’t understand. I asked him if the test was right or if the results were possibly wrong. He didn’t admit to them being wrong.

“We’ve talked about these things from time to time, especially with the Len Bias and Don Rogers situations (Bias, a college basketball star, and Rogers, a pro football player, died last summer from cocaine overdoses). This hit me in the head so hard that it still physically hurts. I don’t have many headaches. I have one that won’t go away now.”

According to Joseph Conyers, Anthony will discuss the situation with his older sister, Julia, a Seattle psychologist.

“Under no circumstances can anything like this jeopardize your life’s work,” Joseph Conyers said. “How can you do something like this? It’s such an asinine thing to get involved in. I told him if he went someplace where that stuff was, he should have taken the hell off. I don’t see how he could allow this. I haven’t recovered from this, and I don’t know if or when I will. I just told my daughter a few minutes ago that I think I’ll wake up and this will be a bad dream.”

The receiver, who said he learned Friday morning he had tested positive when he met with Miller and Aztec Coach Denny Stolz, said: “I’m disappointed in myself. I’ve let a lot of people down. I’m sorry I let down all the people who were counting on me.”

Conyers, a criminal justice major, is 30 units from graduating. He said he plans to attend San Diego State in the spring.

“Coach Stolz said he wanted me to come back and finish school,” Conyers said. “He said he’s not going to hold this against me. These things just happen.”