Urban Meyer has a track record, justified or not, of legal trouble following his programs. Well, mostly just Florida. I don't think anyone cared about Utah or Bowling Green having players arrested. The unofficial count at UF was 31 arrests in six seasons. Many of those charges never stuck, but the national media doesn't really care. Nevermind the fact that LSU and Georgia had arrests at a much higher pace.
For whatever reason, Urban Meyer receives the most criticism about his program and the kind of players he recruits when there are legal issues in the news about players on his team. We here at the 614 are going to wait until all of the facts from all of the cases come out before commenting. If you've been following the Carlos Hyde story, that situation has taken three or four turns over the last week. Columbus Police Department, hurry the heck up. We're waiting! (But seriously, do police investigations always take this long?)
In case you were on vacation with no internet or cell service, you may have heard Ohio State had some arrests over the past 7-10 days. Let's briefly recap, leaving out all speculation.
1) Freshman tight end Marcus Baugh was arrested and booked on underage alcohol consumption and possession of a fake I.D. He is 17. Baugh is suspended through week 1, meaning he has lost all financial aid from his scholarship for the summer. Impact on field: minimal. There are two solid guys ahead of him in Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman as well as Blake Thomas. Baugh may be a red-shirt candidate even.
2) Tim Gardner, also an incoming freshman, was arrested and charged with obstruction of official police business. No idea what that means but Urban packed him up and sent him home. Gardner will not be playing for the Bucks in 2013. No word yet if the lineman will have a chance to earn his way back in 2014. He was a three-star recruit out of Indy who earned an offer after slimming down for the staff in time for a summer camp last year. Impact on field: none. Gardner wasn't going to play this year.
3) Carlos Hyde is suspended indefinitely from the football team. He is listed as a person of interest in an alleged assault on a female that took place in Sugar Bar 2 in the Brewery District of Columbus, Ohio near 2:00 a.m. on July 20/July 21. Literally everything beyond that has been speculation, hearsay, or rumors. That is all we are going to confirm as fact here at 614 Sports at this time. On the field - could be tough if Hyde is kicked off the team or misses significant time. He was poised to become Meyer's first 1,000 yard running back. He rushed for 970 yards and 16 touchdowns last year in 9 games of action. Simply put, the guy is a beast at 240 pounds and a supposed 4.5/40. The Buckeyes do have several talented, yet slightly inexperienced players behind Hyde. Rod Smith could step up if he has figured out his fumble issues.
4) Bradley Roby was arrested and charged with battery resulting in bodily injury. The police report states that Roby was kicked out of a Bloomington, Indiana bar near 2:30 a.m. and tried to re-gain access. That is when the supposed altercation occurred with the bouncers and he was held until the police arrived. Roby was scheduled to attend Big Ten Media days but was replaced by Christian Bryant. The fourth year junior is an All-American candidate and was listed on the Thorpe Award watch list for best defensive back on the country. Meyer said recently he expects a suspension will ensue following the outcome of the case. On the field: Tough. There's no way to replace a Bradley Roby. He's the shutdown corner every great defense needs. Mock NFL drafts have him as the top DB in the 2014 draft and likely a top 15 pick. The Buckeyes are also thin at corner, though they brought in several highly-touted freshman.
So, to recap, we have two bar/night club incidents by upper-classmen (both of whom may be cleared legally) and two freshmen getting into trouble within a few weeks of getting on campus. The previous 12 months for Meyer? Free of any legal issues with his players.
Many in the national media jumped at the opportunity to rip Meyer for allowing these things to occur under his watch, as if he can control 90+ college kids at all times. He said at Big Ten Media day he doesn't care about his reputation because, well, reputation is what others think of you. The legal issues aren't ideal, but the Bucks should still be a top 5 team come September. Hyde could see minimal punishment if cleared or be off the team if charged and convicted. Meyer already alluded to a likely suspension for Roby - a game or two. This SI article is a pretty fair and accurate report on all the things Meyer has had to deal with regarding his players. There is some pretty detailed back stories at UF and really should give you a unique perspective on how Meyer views these situations.
Camp is just around the corner and the season kicks off in 36 days. Until then, stay out of bars...if you're a D-1 (sorry, FBS!) college athlete.
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