The Ohio State Hypocrisy? Scholarships Are Not Equal

ESPN.com news services is reporting that Anthony Wunder, the senior engineering student on a scholarship program at Ohio State, is facing the revocation of that scholarship after being charged with misdemeanor trespassing for running onto the field during the Ohio State Buckeyes' victory against the Cincinatti Bearcats. 

At first glance, this does not seem to be much of an issue. A college senior, not to mention engineering student, should know better than to run onto the field during a game, but at the same time, how many college students have done something incredibly stupid during an otherwise responsible career at a university? Given that this is only a misdemeanor charge, and an incident in which no one was hurt or in danger of being hurt, you have to wonder why throw down the hammer on this kid given the incredible lenience given to other Ohio State athletes. 

Another case that drew recent media attention was that of Tracy Sprinkle, an Ohio State defensive lineman who was charged with possession of cocaine, rioting, and failure to disperse. Eventually most of the charges were dropped and he plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge, one similar in degree to what Wunder is facing. Yet, after having the charges reduced, and an internal investigation completed, Sprinkle was reinstated to the team and given a paltry one game suspension. 

Numerous other Ohio State players have been arrested on serious charges, including former Buckeye and current San Francisco 49er, Carlos Hyde, who was arrested for allegedly hitting a woman at a nightclub, a very serious incident. While Hyde was never formally charged due to inconclusive evidence, Hyde was suspended for three games to start the season. His scholarship was never in question. 

Bradley Roby is another former player who was arrested for an alleged incident at a bar, and again, while his charges were eventually dropped, he was forced to sit out a game as a disciplinary matter. His scholarship was also never discussed. 

To be fair, Tim Gardner, an incoming freshman offensive lineman, was charge with obsctruction the same summer that saw Hyde and Roby endure a legal mess. However, given that Gardner had not yet joined the team, and because he was only a three-star recruit and not a potential All-American, his scholarship was revoked and he went on to enroll at Indiana University. 

It is easy to see why Buckeyes' coach Urban Meyer has a reputation as being lenient on his players, after he once suspended a player for only a half for stomping on the face of an opponent. However, the athletic director, in this case Gene Smith, has the final say on scholarships. He is, after all, Meyer's boss. So you have to wonder why Smith would choose to end the scholarship of a guy like Wunder who did something stupid, but not particularly violent or dangerous, and Gardner, someone charged with another non-violent crime, while giving the proverbial slap on the wrist to violent offenders like Hyde, Roby, and Sprinkle. 

From this writer's opinion, your punishment seems to be directly related to how well you perform on the field, and not on the degree of irresponsibility or the seriousness of the charges levied. Lets hope Gene Smith has a change of heart and decides that if you can give someone like Tracy Sprinkly a second chance, then maybe the drastic measure of taking away a scholarship should not be levied for a relatively minor crime committed by Anthony Wunder.