FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - Four Texas Christian University football players were among 17 students arrested Wednesday morning as a result of a six-month investigation into illegal drug dealing on the Fort Worth campus.

The investigation is continuing and more student arrests are possible at the university, which has an enrollment of about 9,500, Fort Worth police and university officials said at a news conference on Wednesday. The officials did not immediately release the names of the students arrested.

All 17 students arrested had sold drugs “hand-to-hand” to undercover officers, TCU Police Chief Steve McGee said. Drugs sold to officers included marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and a variety of prescription drugs.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from students, parents and community members, officials said.

The arrested students were immediately removed from campus and face possible expulsion, officials said.

“TCU has never before experienced a magnitude of student arrest such as this,” Chancellor Victor Boschini said in a statement. “In fact, campus police records show only five student arrests related to drug law violations in recent years.”

Fort Worth Police Capt. Ken Dean said three of the 17 students were arrested on campus and the rest were arrested off campus.

Boschini said this is not a football problem but a student problem.

The TCU Horned Frogs football team has been one of the best in the nation in recent years and finished the 2011 season ranked No. 13 in the USA Today poll. TCU is set to join the powerful Big 12 Conference in July.