A former coach with the University of Waterloo football said the university's decision to suspend the team for a year because of steroid use by a number of players is a "death knell" for the program.

"They've basically killed the program, make no bones about that, this is not a one-year suspension, this is a death knell to the program, you cannot field a team without your first-year players and your fifth-year players," former receivers coach Carl Zender told Canada AM Tuesday.

The suspension means high school graduates who committed to Waterloo for football this fall will not be able to play there and for players in their final year of eligibility going to Waterloo, their careers are over.

Zender resigned from the team on Saturday after learning of the university's decision.

The suspension comes after Waterloo Warriors receiver Nathan Zettler was arrested for possession and trafficking of anabolic steroids.

The school then ordered the entire sixty-man team to be tested, leading to nine potential anti-doping infractions. According to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), which conducted the tests, the infractions include four admissions of use, three positive tests and one refused test. The ninth case is under further investigation by police.

Zender said the university initially promised the players who tested clean that they would play football this season.

"It's extremely unfair," he said. "I know the details. The kids that were clean they were told, they would move forward. They were told by officials at the university they would play football this year."

Bob Copeland, the school's director of athletics, did not deny the claim during an interview with Canada AM.

But he denied that the suspension was a "death knell" to the program.

"It was a very difficult decision, but this was an eight game decision, there are a number of issues that are bigger than the sport of football," he said. "Our senior administration at the university . . . felt this was the right decision to affect change and really examine this issue."

Copeland added that the university was sending a message to athletes across the country about the dangers and consequences related to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Fourth-year wide receiver Dustin Zender said the university did not consider wider issues relating to the suspension of the program.

"I'm still in disbelief now. It's more than football, this is affecting friendship and family," he told Canada AM. "I'm still struggling to understand (the decision). I understand they wanted to make an example. They made an example when they tested everyone on the team, why are the punished everyone who is clean?"

He also expressed his disappointment in the way the team found out about the suspension.

Zender learned about the decision from his father, receivers coach Carl Zender, only hours before the university made the public announcement.

Dustin Zender said if he hadn't heard that way some on the team might have found out about the program's suspension on the news.

"We were told we would move forward with the guys who were clean and I wake up and find out a couple of hours before, that the season is done," he said.

Copeland, who was interviewed with Dustin Zender, said he understood how upset the players were.

"I feel terrible for Dustin and his teammates, it's a tough life lesson, I certainly understand where they are coming from," he said.

The team's head coach Dennis McPhee and assistant Marshall Bingeman have been placed on paid leave as the university conducts its own investigation.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport identified two players caught up in the scandal, including first-year linebacker Jordan Meredith, who tested positive for Tamoxifen.

Second-year linebacker Joe Surgenor confessed to using a steroid and will also be suspended for two years.