MOST college kids drink, doubt he would get kicked off the team for an occasional beer or 2 (unless its a team rule), many coaches even have pizza and beer with their athletes, though if it is too excess than that is a problem, Don't know why he would smoke, that would just wipe out gains made in conditioning.
Most of the rumors are false, unless it comes from lets say one of the coaches, a family member or a team member, as you said take it with a grain of salt.
Besides how would a fan on a message board of a team well over a 1000 miles away in the East know what is going on in the private lives of kids on a team in the Mid West?, I think it is a bunch of baloney.