Suspended Indiana players take to social media ahead of season opener

Indiana sophomores Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson, suspended for the Hoosiers' first two regular-season games Friday and Monday, both spoke out via Instagram late in the week.

Williams wrote of "adversity" ahead of the coming season in an Instagram photo of Indiana's 2014-15 team:

"Throughout all the adversity we done went through, we still here and standing. Let's start the season off right tomorrow family."

And Robinson posted a lengthy apology on his account Friday:

"I am always being watched so every little decision I make is critical. Young ones look up to me. I have to be somebody they can look up too. I've made bad decision but my bad decisions do not define who I am. At the end of the day I'm a regular person but to be playing for Indiana I have to understand is a privilege to wear the candy stripes and I apologize #Hoosiernation for the embarrassment. But I'm ready to move on from that and be a better hoosier!"

Both players sat out Indiana's two exhibition games as part of their suspensions for failed drug tests during the summer. The allotted penalty for such an offense is a three-game suspension for men's basketball players, but IU coach Tom Crean elected to extend the punishment to four games, including IU's first two regular-season games.

During the exhibition season, Williams, Robinson and freshman forward Emmitt Holt -- suspended for the same length of time because of a separate incident -- were not allowed to sit on Indiana's bench. Crean said they watched games from the locker room, keeping various statistics and speaking to their teammates at halftime.

It's not clear whether they will be allowed onto the bench for either of the regular-season games they're expected to miss, Mississippi Valley State on Friday, or Texas Southern on Monday.