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WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (All B1G, All American, Rose Bowl MVP, Pro Bowl, All Pro, NFL OPOY, Super Bowl Champion, Seattle Seahawks)
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Alumni
- 1217 Replies
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Athletic later Monday that the league will send Smith-Njigba a new trophy.
"The league made the mistake," McCarthy told The Athletic. "We sincerely apologize to Jaxon for the error and are in the process of creating and shipping him a new trophy.
"Of course, like the teams he played against this year, we know how great an offensive player he is. We just had a problem spelling it."
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Ohio State Wrestling (2015/2017/2018 B1G Champs, 2015 National Champs, 2019 National Runners-up)
- By ScriptOhio
- Other OSU and Professional Sports
- 4194 Replies
Wrestling All-American Jaxon Smith commits to Ohio State
Jaxon Smith, an All-American wrestler who competed at Maryland, will finish his college career at Ohio State.
Jaxon Smith, an All-American wrestler who competed at Maryland, will finish his college career at Ohio State. On Monday, Smith announced that he has committed to the Buckeyes after entering the transfer portal.
“Thank you to everyone that has played a part in my journey so far,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m excited for the future, and the pursuit continues.”
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Smith has compiled a 91-12 record in his career and is a three-time NCAA qualifier. In 2025, Smith was named an All-American after finishing in sixth place at 184 pounds in the NCAA Tournament.
In January, Smith announced he would take a medical redshirt after suffering an ankle injury. “After a lot of thought, prayer and conversations with my coaches and medical team, I’ve decided to take a medical redshirt this season due to an ankle injury,” Smith wrote. “While this isn’t the season I envisioned for myself, my priority is getting back fully healthy so I can come back stronger for the 2026-27 season. I’m grateful for all of the support from my teammates, coaches, family and everyone who continues to believe in me. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
“Jaxon Smith has been the face of our program since summer of ’22,” Maryland coach Alex Clemsen said. “Losing him this year has been less than ideal. Seeing him struggle and work to try to get back for a title run, and to continue to lead this team, has been very impressive. At some point, though, it is not what is best for both his short-term and long-term health.”
Smith announced he would enter the transfer portal earlier this cycle. It was expected that he would return to Maryland for his final season, according to Clemsen.
“We appreciate everyone who has poured into Jaxon’s treatment and reached out with support,” he. “Having Jaxon back next year makes the future even brighter, and we cannot wait to see him be himself, doing what he loves, the way he is truly capable.”
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Brutus Buckeye (Official Thread)
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Football
- 206 Replies
Skull Session: Ryan Day Says Wins Aren’t “Pre-Ordained” at Ohio State, Jeff Moody Shares the Untold Story of Crossing Out the 'M' in the Big House As Brutus
Ryan Day says wins aren't "pre-ordained" at Ohio State, and Jeff Moody shares the untold story of crossing out the 'M' in the Big House as Brutus.
“THIS WILL BE AMAZING.” This month, The Columbus Dispatch’s Sheridan Hendrix and Adam Cairns have produced a great behind-the-scenes series on what it takes to be Brutus Buckeye.
Over the weekend, they revisited one of the mascot’s best moments: crossing out the M during Ohio State’s 27-9 win in the Big House last season. Senior Jeff Moody, the man inside the Brutus costume that day, shared the untold story behind the moment with The Dispatch.
“That morning, we woke up, and I was buzzing. Like, this is the dream — to go to the Team Up North game, see Ohio State win and get to be Brutus for it. I was stoked,” Moody said.
Moody said there were “a lot of people” concerned for the safety of him and Ohio State’s cheer squad. The athletic department and coaching staff made sure he and the cheerleaders felt protected in and around Michigan Stadium.
“We were all like, ‘Holy cow. Are we gonna get attacked? Are people that crazy?’” Moody recalled. “We drove to the stadium, and it was cool. For like a mile out from the stadium, there were people lining the roads. Half of them were in scarlet and gray, cheering us on. The other half were wearing maize and blue, booing us, giving us all the fingers and saying some crazy things. We were just eating it up.”
Moody remembers feeling like he was “getting ready for battle” while putting on the Brutus costume in the locker room.
Hours later, he committed an act of war.
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“In the third quarter, I saw snow starting to cover the ground, and I was trying to think, ‘What can I do here? Maybe I can make a little snowman or snow angel or something,’” Moody said. “And then I saw some footprints right behind the end zone in the snow, and it clicked. My favorite Ohio State tradition is going around and crossing out M’s. I think that’s the coolest thing ever. I was like, ‘Wait, I can cross out the M in the Big House. This will be amazing.’”
Moody admitted he weighed the consequences of the action.
“I was like, ‘Wait, if I do this, if this goes poorly, I could get kicked off the team.’ So I ran over to Coach Ray (Sharp), whispered in his ear and said, ‘Can I cross out the M in the end zone?’ And he went, ‘Yeah, go do it.’ Talking to him yesterday, I found out that he didn’t hear what I said. So thankfully, he didn’t hear me, because he would have told me no.”
Thinking he was in the clear, Moody crossed the point of no return — and crossed out the M.
“I ran out on the field, and it was like, ‘Alright, here’s my time. I’m gonna make this thing good.’ I looked down at the opposite corner of the M because it’s a big block. I looked down at the opposite corner — that was my target. I shuffled my feet, didn’t press them into the ground real hard, but knew I was making a mark. Went to the opposite corner, went back across, came across the other way. I was shocked that while I did that, I didn’t get any beer cans thrown at me. I didn’t hear anyone say anything. To me, I didn’t think anyone even noticed I did it.”
Oh, we noticed.
Moody’s action went viral on social media. It remains one of Eleven Warriors’ most popular Facebook posts ever, with almost 50,000 likes and 3,000 comments.
He also dotted the ‘i’ in a Script Ohio. And crossed out the M again.
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“A minute or two after that, two Team Up North staffers came over, got on their hands and knees and wiped off the Script Ohio. They were furious with Coach Ray. They were like, ‘If he does anything like that again, we’re kicking him out of here.’ They were in his face yelling.”
Sharp didn’t care.
“The funniest part about that was they scrubbed off the Script Ohio and left the 'M,'” he said.
Moody took pride in his accomplishment.
“You couldn’t see because I had the head on, but I was grinning ear to ear,” he said. “I was so happy. That was one of the best moments. I was able to do something that got some Team Up North people riled up.”
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