It was a rough day for the Ohio State Buckeyes Football Program as star running back Carlos Hyde was suspended from the team, while news surfaced that pre-season All-American cornerback Bradley Roby was arrested in a separate and unrelated incident over the weekend.
Earlier reports from the Columbus dispatch indicated that Hyde, who was the favorite to be Ohio State’s main running back, had been dismissed from the team. Those reports were later clarified by the school in that he was not dismissed, but rather suspended indefinitely from all team activities.
It has been alledged that Hyde punched a woman at a Columbus bar. While he has not yet been formally charged in the incident, it is still possible that charges are pending. The suspension from football activities is just the first step in a process that could go as far as dismissal from the team and possibly the school depending on the outcome of the incident and his behaviour in the meantime.
Last season Hyde rushed for 970 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior with the Buckeyes.
Meanwhile senior cornerback Bradley Roby was arrested in a separate incident. Roby was arrested early Sunday morning in Monroe County and is charged with Battery Causing Bodily Injury. According to reports Roby was involved in a disturbance in a local bar, and had to be subdued by bouncers before police arrived and placed him under arrest.
Urban Meyer has said he will not attend Big 10 media days while the team probes the incident.
But even that wasn’t the end of the Buckeyes legal issues.
In the same release, the school acknowledged two other players who had been involved in recent legal incidents. They were tight end Marcus Baugh and defensive lineman Tim Gardner. Baugh was arrested for underage possession of alcohol and possessing a fake identification. He is suspended for the season opener against Buffalo, and will lose the summer financial aid. Gardner, was suspended for the entire 2013 season after being arrested on the weekend for obstruction of official business.
“I have a clear set of core values in place that members of this football program are constantly reminded of and are expected to honor,” Meyer said in a statement. “There are also expectations with regard to behavior. I expect our players to conduct themselves responsibly and appropriately and they will be held accountable for their actions.”
Given the legal issues that seemed to follow Meyer’s players at Florida, and are now starting to become issues at Ohio State, we have to ask what that clear set of core values actually is, and if its more than just hot air from the coach.
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