well im glad its nothing serious......just bad timing. notice the image at the side of the xtrasandos.com link
Smith violation took place during spring
OSU denies QB sold national-title ring
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Kathy Lynn Gray and Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The NCAA violation that will keep Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith out of the Alamo Bowl happened in March or April, athletics director Andy Geiger said yesterday.
Geiger said the infraction involves only one incident, and he confirmed it was not an academic issue. On Monday, Geiger said it was not a legal issue.
"Troy Smith did not do a terrible thing, but he broke the rules," Geiger said. "It was not a good thing, but it’s not something that will cost the rest of his career."
Smith, a third-year sophomore, was suspended Monday for the Dec. 29 game in San Antonio. The school has applied for Smith to be reinstated to the team starting with winter workouts after the bowl, although there is a possibility the suspension could stretch to the first game of the 2005 season.
Kent Barrett, an NCAA assistant director of public relations, did not give a timetable for when the NCAA would respond to OSU’s reinstatement request.
OSU officials denied a rumor that Smith sold his 2002 nationalchampionship ring on eBay. That rumor gained legs ‘‘Troy Smith did not do a terrible thing, but he broke the rules. It was not a good thing, but it’s not something that will cost the rest of his career." ANDY GEIGER OSU athletics director because a ring was sold Thursday — the day Geiger said Ohio State learned of Smith’s violation.
Despite a slew of other rumors still circulating, Geiger said he cannot provide more details about Smith’s infraction until OSU finishes its investigation.
"I fully expected there would be this kind of speculation because it’s the nature of our community," he said.
Geiger said Smith has been advised not to talk publicly about the incident, and called the way OSU is handling the situation "strictly textbook."
Apparently, Smith is heeding that advice. His football coach at Cleveland Glenville, Ted Ginn Sr., yesterday said Smith hasn’t told him the nature of the violation.
"He didn’t let me know, and I really don’t need to know," said Ginn Sr., a close confidant of Smith and the father of OSU player Ted Ginn Jr. "My thing is keeping him calm, and he’s cool."
Ginn Sr. said Smith was in Cleveland. Repeated attempts to reach Smith have been unsuccessful.
At Smith’s home in East Cleveland yesterday, Smith’s cousin, Tedisha Brown, said Smith was not home. She had no further comment.
No one answered the door at Smith’s last known Columbus address.
Asked if he was surprised that Smith hadn’t told him what he did wrong, Ginn Sr. said, "Yes and no. . . . I think he’s been directed on what to say. (OSU officials) have got all the answers."
Ginn Sr. also said Smith did not believe the incident would affect his starting status once he is reinstated. Smith went 4-1 after taking over for Justin Zwick, who will start the bowl game.
"He thinks he’s done enough" to keep his starting job, Ginn Sr. said.
OSU President Karen A. Holbrook called Smith’s suspension "appropriate and necessary" and said OSU officials acted quickly after learning of the NCAA violation.
She also defended Ohio State’s reputation, despite a series of incidents that have drawn negative publicity this year.
"I take issue with the characterization of our athletics program as unstable," Holbrook said in a statement. "The sanctions we placed on our basketball program resulted from violations that took place nearly six years ago, and we acted decisively and appropriately, including firing the coach, when those violations first came to light. Recent headlines dealing with the football program covered issues that had been fully investigated a yearand-a-half ago, and we found no breaches of institutional academic integrity."
Dispatch reporter Bill Pfeiffer contributed to this report.
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