As I’m sure you’ve heard by now; three Iowa State football players were suspended on charges of marijuana possession.

In our minds, this raises several questions. Not the least of which is, “What on earth were you thinking?”

This brings distractions, negative media and countless other problems into a program that simply doesn’t need it.

This football team has a lot to prove. The fans want to know that the team is working hard, studying often and constantly improving.

This is a direct slap the face of each and every fan who donated money or bought tickets for Iowa State Football. Coach Paul Rhodes is slowly finding ways to put the pieces of a winning team back together, but these three apparently missed the memo.

Being an athlete is hard — we don’t need to be convinced of that. But at the same time, athletes are much more than just competitors. An athlete’s hard work and dedication represents our school 24 hours a day and seven days a week — not just when there’s a field and a jersey involved.

This is why the actions of these three young men are so troubling. Student athletes are a part of the public’s perception of Iowa State, but the general populace doesn’t judge based on the actions of individuals. In a way, the student body has been damaged as much as the team.

The public does not know individual athletes, only the team they play for. That’s why the headline in the Des Moines Register refers to “Three Iowa State football players,” being suspended instead of “Banks, Laing and Hamlin.”

In the coming weeks, whenever Iowa State is mentioned, this incident will no doubt enter the conversation. We, the editorial board, are disappointed — and we hope the entire student body is too. Like it or not, athletes represent us, and they’re supposed to be the poster-children for our university. Kids look up to them, but so do young-adults here. The overwhelming majority of our student athletes take that role very seriously; they work hard on and off the field to serve and improve our university’s reputation in their future endeavors.

These three young men, however, have left a scar on a burgeoning young team that needs no greater distraction than pulling off a win.

Through thick and thin, our teams have enjoyed the support of fans because athletes worked hard, stayed out of trouble and maintained a reputation as upstanding young men and women in the community. Mistakes like this ruin the connection between fans and the team.

Hopefully Coach Rhodes, Jamie Pollard and the rest of the athletics department will keep a watchful eye on student athletes and hold them to a significantly higher standard after a blunder like this.

As Cyclone fans, we demand it.