AMHERST - The four University of Massachusetts football players who were suspended after their arrest Oct. 1 for possession of a Class B substance were back at practice on Wednesday.

UMass coach Kevin Morris said all four - James Carven, Bob McLaughlin, Mike Mele and Shane Viveiros - are eligible to play in Saturday's game against New Hampshire.

"They're integrating themselves back into the team," he said. "They're full team members and they're eligible to play Saturday."

When the suspensions were announced Oct. 2, UMass spokesman Jason Yellin said, "The length of the players' suspensions has not been determined. There is no defined length. It is a legal matter. We're waiting to see the legal ramifications."

Morris said nothing had changed legally.

"There's no additional legal information," Morris said. "They're eligible to play by school standards."

Athletic director John McCutcheon said the length of the suspensions are in accordance with athletic department policy.

"All of the players involved still have legal issues pending, but per our policy they've fulfilled the 10 percent suspension of the season," McCutcheon said.

"That doesn't preclude any additional penalties they may have to deal with down the road," he added. "But as it stands right now, they've fulfilled their obligations to our department policy, pending any additional action through the courts or the university judicial system."

All four players have pleaded innocent to possessing a Class B substance (cocaine). Mele and Viveiros also pleaded innocent to using fake identification.

The athletic department's alcohol and drug policy does not specifically address arrests for drug possession, but the suspension for 10 percent of a season applies to a player failing a drug test. It is unclear whether the players were tested following their arrest.

"All you have to do is go to our drug and alcohol policy on our Web page to see what the sanctions are. I can't make too many comments," McCutcheon said. "The confidentiality is a pretty important piece of the drug and alcohol policy. They were suspended for 10 percent of the season. That's all I can say."

The players missed last Saturday's 43-27 loss at Delaware. UMass has 11 games scheduled ruing its regular season.

McCutcheon said the athletic department could assess further penalties depending on the resolution of the legal cases. The players are scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 16.

"The courts don't always act as quickly as we would like and it would be unfair to leave them in limbo," he said.

According to the university's drug and alcohol policy, "Violators of university drug policies are subject to severe sanctions including, but not limited to, removal from residence halls, suspension or expulsion."

Viveiros, a sophomore from Fall River, started three of the first four games at strong safety and made 19 tackles.

McLaughlin, a junior from Brewster, is a second-string defensive end who has made three tackles this season.

Mele, of Sea Girt, N.J., a junior transfer from Syracuse, was expected to be a contributor this season at linebacker, but has not appeared in a game because of an upper-body injury.

Carven, a sophomore from Hanover, made two tackles in four games. He is listed as a defensive back, but most of his playing time has come on special teams.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.