THE Ohio State Football Thread

[oldschooler]

[quote name='MichaelWeston' timestamp='1334149148' post='1117281']
No mention of the sporting news article?

[url="http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-04-09/urban-meyer-florida-ohio-state-ncaa-violation-recruiting-drugs-program-will-musc#ixzz1ranWW2e4"]http://aol.sportingn...c#ixzz1ranWW2e4[/url]
[/quote]


No one posted it because we're not here to hate on the Buckeyes.
We leave that for you.


I read it yesterday, I yawned.


Dude won 2 National Championships.







ETA:



[url="https://twitter.com/#!/KyleRowland"][b]Kyle Rowland[/b]‏[s]@[/s][b]KyleRowland[/b][/url]

Meyer said numerous former coaches and players reached out to him with a shocked response to the Sporting News story.




[url="https://twitter.com/#!/KyleRowland"][b]Kyle Rowland[/b]‏[s]@[/s][b]KyleRowland[/b][/url]

Meyer pointed out that the article contains no NCAA violations.




[url="https://twitter.com/#!/KyleRowland"][b]Kyle Rowland[/b]‏[s]@[/s][b]KyleRowland[/b][/url]

Meyer seemed very displeased that the article threw some of his players under the bus and went as far to say that there were inaccuracies.




[url="https://twitter.com/#!/KyleRowland"][b]Kyle Rowland[/b]‏[s]@[/s][b]KyleRowland[/b][/url]

Meyer said he was happy/proud with what he accomplished at Florida and again pointed out they followed the rules.






[url="https://twitter.com/#!/KyleRowland"][b]Kyle Rowland[/b]‏[s]@[/s][b]KyleRowland[/b][/url]

As for the preferential treatment allegations, Meyer said he is guilty of doing that --- for guys who play hard and attend class.

[oldschooler]

[b] [size=6]Ohio State coach Urban Meyer responds to Sporting News article[/size][/b]

[b] Published: Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 2:47 PM Updated: Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 2:57 PM[/b]

By [url="http://connect.cleveland.com/user/dlesmeri/index.html"] Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer[/url]The Plain Dealer


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was prepared today when asked on the Big Ten coaches teleconference to respond to the [url="http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2012/04/urban_meyer_lost_control_to_pl.html"]recent Sporting News article [/url]that questioned some aspects of how he ran his program at Florida and the state in which he left the Gators.

Meyer on four occasions questioned the intent of the story, but the one point he said should be in bold and underlined in his response to some of his recruiting practices at Ohio State is "this is not an NCAA violation. There is not one turned in. And there's a pretty good track record there as far as compliance with the NCAA."

The first-year Ohio State coach was referencing recruiting questions first broached by Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, and Meyer said "I'm not sure why that keeps coming up," knowing it was a hot issue several months ago.

The Sporting News story said that Ohio State had NFL players call recruits and OSU coaches "bumped" into Cleveland Heights offensive lineman Kyle Dodson, then a Wisconsin oral commitment, during a recruiting dead period. Dodson then signed with Ohio State. [url="http://wisconsin.scout.com/2/1176108.html"]Bielema told reporters in Wisconsin[/url] on Tuesday that what was reported in the story "was getting closer" to the real issue. Bielema also said when he called Meyer about the issue, Meyer handled it very quickly.

[url="http://www.cleveland.com/buckeyeblog/index.ssf/2012/04/urban_meyers_end_at_florida_li.html"]As I wrote previously about this [/url]after the Sporting News story came out, the distinction between a violation being committed and not being committed is huge. One is breaking the rules. The other may be ruffling feathers. And that always will remain a distinction. If Meyer is caught breaking NCAA recruiting rules, then the story changes.

As for the charge of favoring some players, Meyer said, "that's probably a correct statement. We did do that. We do that here, we did it at Bowling Green and Utah. If you go to class, you're a warrior, you do things the right way off and on the field, you're completely committed to helping us win, you're going to get treated really good. ... Guys that don't go real hard and aren't committed, yeah, it's real difficult. So you can't please everyone."

Meyer didn't address any more of the specific allegations, that three star players sat out with what Meyer said were injuries when in fact they had failed drug tests, or that receiver Percy Harvin attacked position coach Billy Gonzales. Gonzales, now an assistant at Illinois, did tell reporters there that the reporting of [url="http://www.illinihq.com/sports/illini-sports/football/2012-04-10/illini-assistant-refutes-report.html"]the incident was "inaccurate."[/url]

After six years with the Gators, Meyer said he and his family stilled loved Florida and they always will. He said he objected to several aspects of the story.

"I'm extremely proud of what our players and coaches accomplished," Meyer said. "We were hired to graduate players, we did that. ... We were hired to win games, we did that. Follow the rules, we did that. And recruit great classes, we finished in the top five every year."

Meyer said he has heard from many former players and assistants since the publication of the story. And he echoed what he has made clear since his hiring at Ohio State as well, that he will always defend his players.

"Throwing great players, not good players but great players, under the bus like that, I don't get the intent," Meyer said. "I'll fight for those guys. Those guys did a lot of great things for the University of Florida, to call those guys out four, five years later, I'm not sure of the intent. But I'll always fight for those guys."



http://www.cleveland.com/buckeyeblog/index.ssf/2012/04/ohio_state_coach_urban_meyer_r.html

[Jason]

[quote name='MichaelWeston' timestamp='1334149148' post='1117281']
No mention of the sporting news article?

[url="http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-04-09/urban-meyer-florida-ohio-state-ncaa-violation-recruiting-drugs-program-will-musc#ixzz1ranWW2e4"]http://aol.sportingn...c#ixzz1ranWW2e4[/url]
[/quote]

Butt hurt Florida fan journalist.

[Vol_Bengal]

I don't think it as much to do with a Butt Hurt Florida journalist as it does a "state of the program" and he's blaming Meyer for it. Again, like it or not, he does what he does... this article just spells a lot out concisely point by point. Naming more than just the one player would have lended it more credence and substantiation... all this article should really do is jog people to do further research on the guy. Don't automatically dismiss it just because you have scarlet and grey glasses on. I posted back on post #25 last November... and I quote:

[quote]And, Urban Meyer will recruit some unsavory people... just something that OSU fans will have to get used to as a "cost of winning" type of thing. [/quote]

I don't think it is that big a mystery. They had some real turds at Florida over the years. Just go pull the public stories regarding the arrests for all the different crap. Tebow helped control some of it but not completely. Urban Meyer will win. Period. Just have to be willing to put up with the muck that'll come along with that.

[Jason]

The Meyer Machine rolls on. JT Barrett, the nations #1 dual threat QB, and the #38 overall prospect, has committed to OSU today! OSU's class is currently ranked 7 overall by 24/7 Sports.

[MichaelWeston]

Meyer might be a great coach. But its becoming more and more obvious that he is an asshole.

[Bengals1181]

caught about a quarter plus of the replay of the spring game yesterday and a few things stood out to me:


- Miller's accuracy looks improved.
- Philly Brown looks much better and more comfortable in the new system.
- freshman WR Michael Thomas looks very good.
- I think Ryan Shazier is going to have a breakout year on defense.

[Jason]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1335102785' post='1120267']
caught about a quarter plus of the replay of the spring game yesterday and a few things stood out to me:


- Miller's accuracy looks improved.
- Philly Brown looks much better and comfortable in the new system.
- freshman WR Michael Thomas looks very good.
- I think Ryan Shazier is going to have a breakout year on defense.
[/quote]

It was also nice to see Kenny Guiton look like an NCAA QB. He played really well until his last play.


On another note tOSU picked up another commitment yesterday in Alex Anzalone, a 4 star LB. He is the #5 OLB and #96 overall prospect in the country.

[Jason]

Add 2 more commits today. Joey Bosa, the #2 SSDE and #24 overall prospect and LB Lewis Neal.

Class rank is now up to #5 in the country!

[oldschooler]

[size=6][b]Wyomissing linebacker Anzalone de-commits from Ohio State[/b][/size]


Less than two weeks after giving Ohio State an oral commitment, All-State linebacker Alex Anzalone has informed Urban Meyer's staff that he will not be attending the school.

Anzalone, one of the most sought after football recruits in the nation, de-committed Friday afternoon after disturbing news surfaced that a Buckeyes fan who gained access to players and recruits is a convicted sex offender.

The sex offender, Charles Eric Waugh of Kentucky, has been reaching out to Ohio State players and recruits, personally and via social media.

He made contact with Anzalone during a recruiting visit to Columbus, Ohio, April 21. A photograph of Waugh with Anzalone and two other recruits was posted on a fan website, as were other photographs of the sex offender with a Buckeyes player and the school mascot, Brutus.

"There's a disconnect between what Alex thought was was there (at Ohio State) and what is actually there," said his father, Dr. Sal Anzalone.

Anzalone and his father spoke to Ohio State assistant coach Luke Fickell Friday afternoon to express their concerns and to de-commit.

"Something's just not right at Ohio State," Sal Anzalone said. "It's not for him."

Anzalone had received offers from over 30 major colleges before selecting Ohio State. He personally extended his commitment to Meyer after the annual Scarlet & Gray spring game April 21.

The Wyomissing junior said he'll re-evaluate his options and select another school.

He previously said that Florida and Stanford were at the top of his list, right behind Ohio State. He said he also gave strong consideration to Southern Cal, Penn State and Notre Dame.

They're all back in the running now.

"I had to make a decision that's best for me, and for my family," Anzalone said. "There's a reason behind it. I don't want to get into it; I don't want to hurt anyone.

"We've been talking about it for a week or so with my family. I need to re-evaluate things right now, slow everything down."

On Thursday Ohio State athletic director for compliance Doug Archie informed Buckeyes student-athletes via an email that the university was aware of photographs the 31-year-old Waugh had taken with athletes at the school.

A text message also was sent to OSU athletes, warning them about Waugh and directing them how to block his text and Twitter messages, which he had sent to numerous players.

According to a report on the website thelantern.com, Archie's email contained an internet link to a March 19, 2008, Daily Independent in Ashland, Ky., report about Waugh entering guilty pleas to five counts of "possession of matter portraying sexual performances by minors."

Sal Anzalone said that his son had expressed his concerns that "something wasn't right" about his visit shortly after returning from Ohio last month.

The family spent the past several days privately discussing the issue, but the tipping point, Sal Anzalone said, was the photograph that appeared on the Internet.

It made him believe his son was at risk during his recruiting visit, and he became disenchanted with the Buckeyes coaching staff because of the episode.

"You don't want your son to go to a place where there's a potential issue (like this)," Sal Anzalone said. "You expect the (football) staff to have some sort of control on how things are handled with recruits when they visit. This is ridiculous.

"I was concerned with what recruits do, and with them being allowed to visit these kind of places where it puts kids at risk. That's the issue. You entrust people (at the school) to do the right thing."

While he said he doesn't believe the Buckeyes coaching staff was aware that a sexual predator had access to its recruits and players, Sal Anzalone said he is upset at what transpired.

"Of course," he said. "Who wouldn't be? I'm outraged."





http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=384313

[oldschooler]

[url="https://twitter.com/#!/brdispatch"][b]Bill Rabinowitz[/b]‏[s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/url]

Once [url="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23OSU"][s]#[/s][b]OSU[/b][/url] informed about Waugh's past, they warned athletes/recruits to stay away. Not much more to be done. He's just a fan, not booster.

[Bengals1181]

that's odd. Completely understand the family wanting to be safe but wonder if this might be them blowing an issue out of proportion.

[MichaelWeston]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1336183532' post='1128944']
that's odd. Completely understand the family wanting to be safe but wonder if this might be them blowing an issue out of proportion.
[/quote]

The way I read it was that the coaches might have handled it poorly after they were told that he might be switching.

[|Tigers Johnson|]

ESPN article made it sounds like Anzalone regretted commiting so early....


Sounds like an excuse to get out to me....

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='Tigers Johnson' timestamp='1336215648' post='1128969']
ESPN article made it sounds like Anzalone regretted commiting so early....


Sounds like an excuse to get out to me....
[/quote]


I kind of got the impression something else was going on as well, especially since it sounds like his dad may have been part of the decision. It could be just the one issue, but its sounds more like it was the tip of the iceberg.

[Bengals1181]

[quote][color=#252525][font=arial][left]Ohio State's department of athletics released a statement addressing the brouhaha involving a Twitter user's interaction with numerous student-athletes.[/left][/font][/color]
[color=#252525][font=arial][left]
Under the Twitter name @bdubstriviaguru, Charles Eric Waugh had become known for sending inspirational and motivational quotes to numerous student-athletes, coaches and athletic department personnel in recent months.

However, the university discovered in the past week that Waugh was listed on Kentucky's registry of sex offenders and sent out a warning to steer clear of interactions with him.

At the time, Ohio State sent out an email that read, as follows:

"The University has become aware that an individual who is listed on Kentucky's sex offender registry has recently been seen in pictures with our student-athletes. [A news article reported that he pleaded guilty to five counts of 'possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor' and noted that the images were all of boys younger than 16.]. The individual's name is Charles Eric Waugh. We have reason to believe that he has a Twitter account under the name: BdubsTriviaGuru. This account has sent tweets to student-athletes and coaches. We strongly recommend that you take the steps (see links below) to block his access to your Twitter and Facebook accounts. In addition, we've enclosed a photograph and a link to a news article regarding this individual.

"As a reminder, the individuals who you associate with on social networking sites (i.e., Twitter, Facebook) can have negative implications on your reputation and the University. Please remember to choose your 'social media friends' carefully!"

Both The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper, and OSU blog Land-Grant Holy Land detailed the situation more fully in recent articles, including recent pictures featuring Waugh with recruits.

With all that in mind, Ohio State, released a new statement Friday night clarifying its stance on Waugh and detailing its actions in the situation.

"The issue surrounding the individual from Kentucky is being treated by the Department of Athletics as a student-athlete welfare issue," it read. "When the University became aware that this individual had been seen in pictures – taken in public places – with student-athletes, proactive precautions were taken and the Department of Athletics alerted more than 1,000 Ohio State student-athletes about this person. The email message also reminded them of the negative implications that can be realized through simple associations on social networking sites. This individual is not associated with Ohio State. He is not a booster. He has not engaged in any activities on behalf of the University. The Department of Athletics will continue to monitor this issue and it will remain proactive in its efforts with regard to precautions for its student-athletes." [/left][/font][/color]
[/quote]

[url="http://www.foxsportsohio.com/05/05/12/Ohio-State-issues-statement-on-Waugh-iss/landing_ohiostate.html?blockID=723772&feedID=3725"]http://www.foxsportsohio.com/05/05/12/Ohio-State-issues-statement-on-Waugh-iss/landing_ohiostate.html?blockID=723772&feedID=3725[/url]

[oldschooler]

[size=6][b]Sal Anzalone clarifies his original comments[/b][/size]

Sal Anzalone had no idea of the firestorm that would erupt when his son, Wyomissing football star Alex Anzalone, de-committed from Ohio State Friday afternoon.

In the hours that followed, the story, reported by the Reading Eagle and published on its website early Friday evening, went national - viral in, fact.

News websites and blogs across the nation picked up on Sal Anzalone's comments criticizing Ohio State for allowing his son to come in contact with, and be photographed with, a known sex offender who is a Buckeyes football fan.

By midnight the Reading Eagle's website had logged nearly 50,000 hits on the story.

By Saturday morning Sal Anzalone was hoping the story would just go away, but it won't, not in an era where college football fans are rabid about the slightest recruiting tidbit and where recruiting websites zealously report any hint of news.

Sal Anzalone did want to clarify that he doesn't hold Buckeyes football coach Urban Meyer, his staff or the university responsible for what happened during Alex's recruiting visit to Columbus, Ohio, April 21.

"I want people to understand, I have no beef with Ohio State, at all," Sal Anzalone said. "My issue is not with Ohio State: It's a great institution, they have a phenomenal president, Urban Meyer is nothing but a class act to me.

"There's nothing wrong with Ohio State; it's a great institution. When I said there was something wrong with Ohio State, I was talking about the visit - there was something wrong with the visit, not with Ohio State."

Sal Anzalone said that Meyer called Friday evening, but did not wish to provide any details about that conversation.

"We can't implicate Ohio State for what happened (during that visit)," Sal Anzalone said. "That's wrong. That had nothing to do with the university itself. I don't hold them accountable; they're not responsible for what fans do; it's not their fault."

[b]After saying Friday that Alex would no longer consider attending Ohio State, Sal Anzalone said the Buckeyes are back in the picture, but that his son - an All-State linebacker and one of the top recruits in the nation - needs time to reassess the situation.

"With all the craziness, we want to slow down the process, calm it down a little bit," Sal Anzalone said. "There's no reason we wouldn't consider the Buckeyes. We love Ohio State. The academic opportunities there are tremendous."[/b]

Ohio State's athletic department issued a statement Friday, distancing itself from Charles Eric Waugh, the 31-year-old Kentucky native who had been contacting Buckeyes players and recruits, including Anzalone, via social media and in person.

"When the university became aware that this individual had been seen in pictures - taken in public places - with student-athletes, proactive precautions were taken and the Department of Athletics alerted more than 1,000 Ohio State student-athletes about this person," the statement read. "This individual is not associated with Ohio State. He is not a booster. He has not engaged in any activities on behalf of the university.

"The Department of Athletics will continue to monitor this issue and it will remain proactive in its efforts with regard to precautions for its student-athletes."





http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=384506

[MichaelWeston]

What were these guys charges?

[Bengals1181]

[color=#333333][font=HelveticaNeue,]
[url="https://twitter.com/#!/SteveMuenchESPN"][b]Steve Muench[/b] [size=4]‏[/size] [s]@[/s][b]SteveMuenchESPN[/b][/url][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=HelveticaNeue,]
Watching Ohio State's Reid Fragel who has moved from tight end to tackle. Loads of upside but footwork needs work. Lunged a little too much[/font][/color]

[Jason]

The latest on Anzalone is his father was upset he committed to OSU. He wanted to go to his alma matter of Florida. However, Florida's recruiting class is already stacked at LB and may not be able to take him unless it's as an H-back.

The guy with the issues was just an excuse so that OSU fans wouldn't bash him.

Do not be surprised if Anzalone re-commits to OSU in the not too distant future. Coaches have told him he is still welcone should he change his mind.

[Bengals1181]

looks like Jordan Hall is out for the season which is a bummer as Urban Meyer planned on using him in a Percy Harvin type role.

[JBandJoeyV]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1341259660' post='1137574']
looks like Jordan Hall is out for the season which is a bummer as Urban Meyer planned on using him in a Percy Harvin type role.
[/quote]

I read he will only be out till like the 3rd week...

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='JBandJoeyV' timestamp='1341265292' post='1137592']
I read he will only be out till like the 3rd week...
[/quote]


on ESPN they said 10 weeks but then said OSU coaches are preparing for him to miss the entire season and that its worse than they projected.

[oldschooler]

[url="https://twitter.com/BarackObama"][b]Barack Obama[/b] ‏[s]@[/s][b]BarackObama[/b] [/url]
O-H-I-O! [url="http://t.co/E8r2B1fN"]pic.twitter.com/E8r2B1fN[/url]






[url="http://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/238060326996832256/photo/1/large"][img]https://p.twimg.com/A03CmyoCcAAawJ8.png[/img] [/url]

[Jason]

Damn. I'm going to have to change teams now.