A final decision has been made, Clemson will be down two players heading into the 2019 season.

The NCAA has made its decision and has denied Clemson’s appeal following the positive tests for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine. The NCAA’s decision means tight end Braden Galloway and offensive lineman Zach Giella will miss the entire 2019 season after failing drug tests. Former Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence also failed the test but he has since moved on to the NFL.

The players have consistently denied knowingly putting Ostarine into their system or how it could have gotten into their bodies.

Following this announcement, Clemson has released the following statement:

“We are disappointed in the results of the appeal and continue to believe our student-athletes did not knowingly ingest any banned substances. The Athletic Department takes seriously its role in the education, testing and enforcement of supplement and performance-enhancing substances. We will continue to adhere to best practices with respect to supplement use by student-athletes and support the position of the NCAA in its testing for PEDs.

“Student-athletes at Clemson have taken 329 tests for PEDs since 2014, and all results have been negative except for the trace amounts found during the December 2018 tests. The two current student-athletes were tested prior to the December test, including in April and October of 2018 and again in January and February of 2019, and results came back negative for PEDs. Clemson maintains a rigorous education and testing program, and all supplements are reviewed with Clemson Athletics Nutrition and Sports Medicine as well as the Clemson Compliance Office prior to approval for usage to ensure that no banned substances are included in the products.”

In addition to that statement, representatives for Galloway and Giella have released the following statement, courtesy of Matt Fortuna of The Athletic: