The NCAA has reached a conclusion in its investigation into a loan that Chase Young received, and Ohio State announced on Wednesday that the star defensive end will be suspended for one more game before returning.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Young has been suspended for two games, with one of them having already been served last week against Maryland. Young will sit out Saturday’s game against Rutgers and then be eligible to return.
“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,” Smith said, via Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors. “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.”
Young says he took a loan from a “family friend” the summer before his freshman season at Ohio State and has since repaid it. Even though it has been paid back, the loan was still considered an extra benefit by NCAA guidelines.
It’s unclear how the loan was brought to the NCAA’s attention, but some FOX broadcasters wondered last week if one of Ohio State’s opponents may have been responsible for the information coming out.
Young has 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in eight games. He is arguably the best defensive player in the country, and the two-game suspension could not have come at a better time for the Buckeyes. They defeated Maryland 73-14 without Young last week and will likely see a similar result against Rutgers on Saturday. There was some speculation that Young could be suspended for four games, but he will now be able to play against Penn State and Michigan to close out the regular season.
