. . . The details must still emerge, but at first glance the whole thing seems pointless. Young is worth millions, not just to the NFL but to college football. If something of value was accepted, it pales in comparison to Young’s open market value.
If the NCAA could cut him in on sales of his No. 2 jersey in the Ohio State bookstore, would a little extra cash matter? If he could star in a television commercial for a Columbus-area car dealer, would an agent seem so appealing? Would the world end if he made a few bucks?
It wouldn’t be worse than seeing a star have to sit due to some antiquated concept of amateurism.
That isn’t to excuse Young. The current rules are the current rules, so if he broke them then he broke them. Again, we’ll see.
At this point, the specifics are unknown. Ohio State is investigating. It has to. And it has to sit Young, because knowingly playing a potentially ineligible player could cause future forfeitures and blow up the entire season — the Buckeyes are still good without him..
