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Ohio State Football Players Suspended Amid NCAA Investigation

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Ohio State University's athletic department has announced the suspension of three football players, AaDeVierAaPosey, Dan Herron, and Marcus Hall, amid an NCAA investigation into the program. The suspensions are a result of the players receiving impermissible benefits from a Cleveland-area booster, Robert DiGeronimo, who paid them for work they did not do. The investigation is ongoing, and further suspensions have not been ruled out.

Key Takeaways:

  • Three Ohio State football players, AaDeVierAaPosey, Dan Herron, and Marcus Hall, have been suspended for Saturday's game at Nebraska due to receiving impermissible benefits from a Cleveland-area booster, Robert DiGeronimo.
  • DiGeronimo paid the players for work they did not do, with Posey being overpaid by $720 and Herron being overpaid by $292.50. Hall was overpaid by $225.
  • The players did not know they were being overpaid by DiGeronimo, who was disassociated from the university on September 20.
  • The NCAA investigation is a collaborative effort between the university and the NCAA, with the reinstatement process ongoing.
  • The university will use the situation as an example of what not to do and learn from it, with athletic director Gene Smith stating that individual decisions were made that went off the reservation.
  • The university has already administered self-imposed penalties, including vacating the 2010 season, giving back the $388,811 earned from the Sugar Bowl, and a two-year NCAA probationary term.
  • The NCAA has yet to rule on OSU's status going forward, but Smith expects the Committee on Infractions to take longer and ultimately give an answer, hopefully sometime this fall.
  • The university has to monitor over 1,000 athletes at the university, and they are working on improving compliance education for all of them, with Smith stating they have to constantly find ways to make sure they are doing things right to help them.

Statistics:

  • $720: The amount of money Posey was overpaid by DiGeronimo.
  • $292.50: The amount of money Herron was overpaid by DiGeronimo.
  • $225: The amount of money Hall was overpaid by DiGeronimo.
  • $388,811: The amount of money OSU earned from the Sugar Bowl in 2010, which they had to give back as part of the self-imposed penalties.
  • 1,090: The number of athletes the university has to monitor, including new recruits every year.
  • 200: The number of new athletes recruited every year, ages 17 and 18 years old.
  • 2010: The year in which the Sugar Bowl victory was vacated due to NCAA infractions.
  • 2011: The year in which the players were originally suspended for the first five games of the season due to selling Buckeye football memorabilia in exchange for improper benefits.

Sources:

  • The Lantern
  • The Columbus Dispatch
  • Ohio State University athletic department

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