Miami Pair’s Appeals Rejected

The National Collegiate Athletic Assn. said Thursday that it would not overturn its previous ruling barring two Miami football players from tonight’s Orange Bowl game against Oklahoma, regardless of what a Florida judge decides.

The 12-member NCAA Executive Committee, in a conference call from the association’s headquarters at Mission, Kan., refused the appeals of linebacker George Mira Jr. and offensive tackle John O’Neill, who were suspended after failing NCAA drug tests Dec. 11.

Attorneys for Mira and O’Neill were seeking a permanent restraining order in Dade Circuit Court to allow them to play in the New Year’s night game. The hearing recessed without a decision at 9:30 p.m., EST, and was scheduled to resume today at 9:30 a.m.

Miami Athletic Director Sam Jankovich said that even if the players’ court appeal were successful, the school would not allow them to play.

“Unfortunately, we will not allow the student-athletes to participate for a number of reasons, one being we just got off of NCAA probation,” Jankovich said.

He was referring to the NCAA’s “death penalty” statute, which calls for severe penalties against a school for a second violation of rules in a five-year span. Jankovich added that the school would not risk forfeiture of individual and team awards and the $2.5-million share of bowl appearance money.

Mira and O’Neill, both starters, were suspended after testing positive for diuretics, one of the substances banned by the NCAA. Diuretics help lessen fluid retention and, according to some experts, can mask the use of steroids.