Chase Young to return next week

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Last week, news out of The Ohio State University athletic department reverberated throughout the country when it was announced that star defensive end Chase Young had been suspended for the Buckeyes’ game against Maryland while they looked into possible NCAA infractions.

On Wednesday, the school announced Young’s suspension would extend to Ohio State’s game at Rutgers on Saturday before being reinstated next week.

Young is suspended for accepting a loan from what he deemed a “family friend,” although Young said he has long since paid the loan back in full.

In a statement from Ohio State, Director of Athletics Gene Smith said, “I want to thank and express my sincere gratitude to university staff members who worked so diligently and expertly to learn and understand the facts, and then to report these facts to the NCAA as part of our request to have Chase reinstated. This is the example of the culture of compliance we have at Ohio State.

“I also want to commend Chase Young and let him know how proud we are of him. He took responsibility for his actions, cooperated throughout the process and understood and accepted that there would be consequences. He’s a team captain and a leader and, most importantly, a Buckeye. He wanted nothing more than an opportunity to play again and we’re pleased that he’ll get that chance.”

Ohio State called a press conference Tuesday evening in which Smith further addressed the process Ohio State took to get Young reinstated, although he offered no details into the specifics of the eligibility issue itself.

During that press conference, Smith said the athletic department was tipped off to the potential violation on the Sunday following Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin Oct. 26.

Smith confirmed it was Ohio State which had suspended Young originally as it looked further into the matter. On why the athletic department chose to suspend Young prior to the investigation, Smith said, “At the time, we felt there were enough facts that a violation occurred … So, what you do is you make a business decision.”

Smith said the decision was either to sit Young then or have to sit him later “because he was going to sit (at some point).”

Rumors swirled that someone from the Maryland program had been the one to tip off the athletic department. Even Penn State head coach James Franklin’s name managed to find its way into rumors. However, Smith took it upon himself to dispell all rumors involving other individuals in the Big Ten being the ones to bring the situation to light.

Asked about Young being forthcoming and the effect it had on the investigation, Smith said Young contributed greatly to how fast a decision was rendered. He said Young being upfront about the details enabled the athletic department to move forward “expeditiously” in lining up the interviews as the next step.

Smith added that the type of person Young is, and the fact he’s never been in trouble in the past, also aided his cause.

Young, who leads the team with 13.5 sacks, is eligible to return for Ohio State’s game against Penn State on Nov. 23.

Ohio State defensive end Chase Young sizes up a running back during their game against Florida Atlantic in August.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019/11/web1_chase.jpgOhio State defensive end Chase Young sizes up a running back during their game against Florida Atlantic in August. D. Anthony Botkin | The Gazette

By Dillon Davis

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Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.

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