Rules are rules.
As a lifelong Buckeye fan, it pains me to say that whatever punishment is laid down, by Ohio State or the NCAA, upon Ohio State football players DeVier Posey, Dan Herron, and Marcus Hall will be deserved.
Growing up, I always saw OSU as an institution representing tradition, pride and excellence.
The Silver Bullets, the golden pants, Buckeye Grove and “Carmen Ohio” all inspire those feelings in within me.
The recent scandals have struck deep within me, shaking my beliefs about OSU.
OSU’s current generation of football players, and any considering coming here in the future, need to be taught a lesson.
These players who continually disrespect everything that Ohio State has ever stood for do not deserve to wear the colors that are so dear to my heart. Scarlet and Gray is reserved for those who understand what it is to be a Buckeye.
Posey and Herron are excellent football players, and I would personally love it if the team had more on-field help this year.
The team clearly needs all the help it can get, but Posey and Herron shouldn’t be allowed to play for the Buckeyes anymore.
Furthermore, those who allowed such widespread offenses should be held accountable.
The free tattoos, the selling of memorabilia, accepting money while at a charity event and now being paid for work that was never done make it seem as though the players were running rampant.
If OSU really was doing a proper job with teaching the players about compliance with NCAA rules and ensuring that the players then followed those lessons, surely someone should have noticed what was happening, and if they didn’t notice, then they must have been doing a terrible job.
This leads me to my second conclusion; Gene Smith and the entire compliance staff are either incompetent or liars.
We need to have someone who can take the athletic department by the reigns and whip it in to shape and Smith is clearly not that person. OSU needs to eliminate all of the problems with the football program and should fire Smith and the compliance staff.
I know that the idea of sending OSU into a deeper hole isn’t an appealing one, but I want an institution I can be proud of. I would rather turn away good talent and have a good reputation than allow tainted players and staffers to stay for the sake of a stronger football team.
That’s not what OSU is about.
