THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 29, 2023 at 17:18 JST
The practice field of Nihon University’s American football team in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Nihon University will disband its American football team following a prolonged drug scandal that has led to the arrests of three players, sources said Nov. 28.
The three team members were accused of possessing cannabis and a stimulant drug between August and November.
The football team has been suspended since Sept. 1, but the university decided to scrap the sports program following criticism over the handling of the drug scandal.
Nihon University has won the Koshien Bowl 21 times since the team was established in 1940. That is the second most national college football championships among Japanese schools.
Nicknamed “Phoenix,” the team is also a four-time winner of the Rice Bowl, the championship game that includes corporate league clubs.
But in recent years, the team has been known more for scandalous behavior.
In 2018, the team’s coaches ordered a linebacker to injure the quarterback of Kansei Gakuin University. A video of the vicious late hit that put the QB in hospital went viral.
The manager and coaches resigned, and the team was suspended from playing in official games.
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