First, let me just be emphatic in this statement. I am an OSU fan through and through. I am as biased as they possibly come. I also have zero tolerance for violence of any kind. I detest it and truly believe their is no place in this world for any kind of violence. Having said that let me share what I have learned through a collection of the evidence provided by media and lawyers. Which is far less than the NFL and Prosecutors had access too no doubt.

So how did Zeke get here? Well you see he is as visible as anyone in the NFL right now. Zeke has made himself visible by his play on the field and his infectious smile off of it. He also has put himself in situations that are high risk of negative situations. That happens. To everyone. Being a member of the Dallas Cowboys also puts a spotlight on him like no other team in sports.

Is Ezekiel Elliott guilty of anything? The answer to the best of my knowledge is no. The actuality is though that it doesn’t matter. Society labels. They get out their pitchforks and create mobs out of thin air. He is a victim of society. Society says if a woman says you hit them then you absolutely did. Society says if you are accused of anything you and guilty until proven innocent. That is ass-backwards. Alas though this is the way society works and Zeke needs to learn that and do whatever he can to keep society off his back.

Let’s tackle this domestic violence situation now. The evidence provided by the accuser is suspect at best. She claims to have been beaten over 5 days several times and also claims these weren’t the only times he did it to her.
Battered women absolutely can and do return to their abusers. When they do though in general they are very submissive and hide the abuse. They don’t try to get their friends to lie and say that their boyfriend hit them in front of them. Which is exactly what this girl did.

You can go here to TMZ to see the alleged bruises. In the pictures you can see lots of bruises some appear much older than others. You can see a picture of her hand which is clearly the result of her punching someone. Which goes hand in hand with the accusation that she was in a bar fight the week before with another female. Look at the pictures and judge for yourself. They aren’t the typical pictures of a battered woman. They certainly aren’t the pictures of a 125 pound woman beaten several times over a week by a 225 pound athlete. They appear to me to be the result of a typical girl fight. Lots of grabbing and wrestling and very little punching.

Listen to the 9-1-1 call listen to her voice and her words. Tell me this is the response of a battered woman.

Read the text messages where she asks her friend to lie for her and say she saw Ezekiel Elliott grab her and drag her and beat her.

The totality of this situation leads me to honestly believe Zeke is innocent. Could he be guilty? Yes. Is there enough evidence to say he is by even a 51% to 49% basis? Nope. The Columbus Police and the Franklin County Prosecutors have said the case doesn’t warrant an arrest or trial. Why? Because they don’t believe the “victim”.

Lastly, Info has come out today that NFL commish Roger Goodale did not attend a single meeting with Zeke or the accuser yet still was the judge, jury, and executioner should send you into a rage. The NFL decided this case well before the alleged incident ever happened. The day they received criticism for their handling of Ray Rice they knew they had to fix that image and they are doing it on the back of Ezekiel Elliott.

Until the NFL produces some actual evidence to support their 6 game suspension there is only one thing to say. Shame on the NFL.

Things have gotten out of hand for the 2017 recruiting class. It is almost as if Ohio State Fans are living in a dream world. Top recruit after top recruit are throwing themselves at Urban Meyer and his staff in a rush to save themselves one of the very few coveted 2017 spots. The 2017 class is reaching epic proportions and the avalance continued with today’s announcement of the newest member of the 2017 class.

Wyatt Davis a 6’5″ 310 pound Five Star Offensive Guard from Bellflower, California committed to Ohio State in a ceremony at his high school today. Wyatt visited OSU last weekend and was blown away by the school and staff so much so that he committed to OSU even though nearly every “expert” had him pegged to go to Alabama before he visited OSU.

How this helps Ohio State?

Well landing a top 15 recruit in the country is a gift in and of itself but it also helps to keep the ball rolling with many of the top recruits in the country. This is a cornerstone recruit along with fellow five star OL Josh Myers and top 100 OL Jake Morretti OSU has the top OL class in the country. It also helps with other five star recruits from California like Darnay Holmes and Tyjon Lindsey. It also helps keep OSU well ahead of the rest of the country and most importantly Michigan.

This article will mark my last as a contributing editor for Men of the Scarlet and Gray. I have enjoyed my opportunities here immensely, and I profusely thank each and every one of you who have been kind to read, review, and interact with me along the way. It has truly been a pleasure writing for all of you, and I hope that you will keep in touch with me through Twitter.

Rest assured – this is not the end of my writing career. Think of this as more of a temporary pause. In the meantime, look for articles from me via my blog From The Mind Of Minnich, or my occasional articles that have been appearing on Athlon Sports.

Thank you, and as always, #GoBucks,

Chip Minnich
@ChipMinnich

COMMITS

Josh Myers- #14
Shaun Wade- #16
Isaiah Pryor- #73
Jake Moretti- #76
Brendon White- #81
JK Dobbins- #82

TARGETS

Marvin Wilson- #1
Trevon Grimes- #3
Isaiah Wilson- #5
Baron Browning- #6
Jeffrey Okundah- #9
Lamont Wade- #10
Donovan People-Jones- #11
Darnay Holmes- #15
Cam Akers- #27
Tate Martell- #31
Tyjon Lindsey- #33
Robert Hainsey- #64
Chase Young- #92

OTHER B1G COMMITS

Joshua Kaindoh- #7 Maryland
AJ Espensa- #34 Iowa
Dylan McCaffrey- #45 Michigan
Avery Roberts- #77 Nebraska
Tristan Gebbia- #94 Nebraska

Today marks 100 days until The Ohio State Buckeyes kick off the 2016 season against Bowling Green. Yet there are still lurking questions about this team that will not be answered in full, perhaps until week five or six. For example, with all of its youth and inexperience, will the 2016 Buckeyes be able to compete on the same level as last year’s team? What will the offense look like in Tim Beck’s second year as Offensive Coordinator? What will the defense look like in Greg Schiano’s first year as defensive coordinator? Has Ohio State been written off, as a serious championship contender, already?

If you get the chance to read Coach Meyer’s book “Above the line”, I highly recommend it; not only for the life lessons it provides but for the insight into who Urban Meyer, the man, really is. In the book Meyer talks about his distaste for what he calls “BCD” or blaming, complaining and being defensive. Therefore, it doesn’t come as a shock that, in a time when fans were calling for Coach Tim Beck’s job after last year’s loss to Michigan State, Meyer didn’t blame Beck. Meyer realized that Ohio State’s offensive struggles went deeper than Tim Beck’s abilities as a coordinator; and firing him would not have made this team better. In spite of it all, Beck is back this year; and I fully expect him and Co-Offensive Coordinator Ed Warriner, to have the offense firing on all cylinders this season. A year after one of the biggest quarterback controversies in recent memory, Meyer, Beck and Warriner are completely committed to JT Barrett as this season’s starting QB. The change of pace and the lack of being able to establish a rhythm, that comes with repeatedly substituting the quarterback, were the offense’s biggest issues last year. The solution was never more evident than in the final two games of the season. JT Barrett was the sole starter for the Buckeyes and Coach Warriner moved upstairs to coach from the box. Ohio State’s offense dominated the competition by scoring 42 points against our rivals; and 44 points in the Fiesta Bowl. I simply don’t expect OSU to revert back to its old ways. Finally, with all of the talented that left Ohio State for the NFL, this offseason, the Buckeyes will rely heavily on the play of their on-field OC, JT Barrett. They will also need big contributions from players like Noah Brown, Mike Weber, Brionte Dunn, KJ Hill and Curtis Samuel. All things considered, it looks like this year’s offense is in great hands.

When I think Greg Schiano, I think Miami. I think about Ed Reed and Dan Morgan; Coach Schiano’s two best players during his tenure at “the U.” In his last Defensive Coordinator position, Schiano led the Hurricanes defense to being the number twelve ranked defense in college football in 1999; and the number five ranked defense in 2000. In his first year as OSU’s Defensive Coordinator, Schiano’s secondary is going to look quite similar to how the Bucks have looked the last two years under Chris Ash. However, Schiano likes for his to defense to be “flying around.” In other words, he likes to call a wider variety of blitzes to confuse opposing quarterbacks and offensive lineman, so expect Ohio State’s front seven to spend a lot more time in the backfield.

Overall the 2016 Buckeyes are going to start the season as a young team, an inexperienced team, but an extremely talented team. Most of OSU’s twenty-two starters will have never started a game in college, when kickoff comes on September 3rd. Most of these players did not have a major role in the Big Ten championship or the national championship from 2014. Most of these players have not contributed on Saturdays to Meyer’s 50-4 record at Ohio State. Most of them haven’t accomplished anything and they have already been written off by ESPN and others, as incapable. Now its their turn to prove themselves. Though they are young, they are hungry. Their opportunity to leave their mark at Ohio State will begin in 100 days.

“ Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something…” ~ Thomas Edison

Leave it to Thomas Edison, an Ohioan and considered “The Father Of Invention”, to appropriately summarize the goals for the 2016 Ohio State football team. No rules – just accomplish something.

“Something” is a pretty vague and open concept. Considering how much talent Ohio State lost to graduation and the NFL Draft, considering how I have written throughout spring practice about how 44 players on Ohio State’s roster are either redshirt freshmen or true freshmen…Damn right, Mr. Edison. There are no rules. Ohio State fans are just looking to see what this team can accomplish against a much tougher schedule in 2016 than 2015, with tremendously talented, yet inexperienced, players.

**

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Game 4)

2016 OSU Opponent Ranking: 10 out of 12

Players Recruited By Ohio State: DL Darius Hamilton, DB Ronnie James. There may be more players on Rutgers’ roster that had offers from Ohio State, but Hamilton and James are the only ones I could find in my research. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

Game Date: October 1, 2016

Kickoff Time: 12pm EST. Network television has not yet been announced.

Location: Ohio Stadium

Rationale For The Ranking: Ohio State’s homecoming game is against an opponent that has posed little to no threat to Ohio State over the past two seasons. Ohio State defeated Rutgers 56-17 in 2014, and traveled to New Jersey in 2015 and handled the Scarlet Knights 49-7. That averages out to a usual score of 52-12, favoring the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Former Ohio State assistant Chris Ash has taken over the Rutgers program, and is doing everything in his power to mold the Buckeyes into a program that will be able to compete within The B1G East’s typical powers in Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. Ash will try to mold Rutgers into a tough, physical program, but how quickly can Ash transform the Scarlet Knights, with the talent on hand? Throw in the fact that Ohio State will have a week off prior to this contest, and this one could be another blowout win for the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium.

Previous Rankings:
11 – Bowling Green
12 – Tulsa

Earlier this week we heard the news that former Ohio State Buckeye Justin Boren’s company Grass Groomers being broken into. Here is the info from Justin’s Facebook account….

To all my Facebook friends in Central Ohio please be on the lookout for this truck and message me if you see it or have any information on who may own it and/or where they may live. These still images off our security cameras caught this truck pulling in to scope out our property yesterday, Sunday May 15th at around 8pm, and then this same vehicle returned at around 10pm and then again around midnight parked on the side of our building, cut a hole in our fence, and broke into several of our locked enclosed trailers stealing a total of 7 Redmax backpack blowers, 5 Redmax string trimmers, and a pair of Redmax hedge trimmers with a total value of over $5,000. We believe that the truck is a 2002-2006 white Chevrolet 1500 regular cab 2wd pick-up truck. Some of the more interesting features of this vehicle, which should stick out, are that even though it is a white vehicle it has a solid black tailgate, it has some sort of bumper sticker on the right hand side of the rear bumper, looks to have some damage or black scrape marks on the right rear quarter panel, has a Honda generator in the bed (which I assume is probably stolen), and it looks to have some sort of dealer plate on the rear tailgate (which again I think are probably stolen). Any help in catching this thief is greatly appreciated.

According to the Columbus Police today they have discovered who the thieves are…

WANTED: 36-year-old Paul Arthurs is wanted for Breaking & Entering. On Sunday, May 15th & Monday, May 16th Arthurs broke into 3 equipment trailers and stole thousands of dollars worth of power tools from a business on Americana Parkway (E Columbus). He was caught on camera committing the crime. A second suspect, Arthurs girlfriend 23-year-old Kayla Sparks, was arrested this morning and charged with Breaking & Entering in connection to these crimes.

She won’t talk, so we need someone who knows Paul Arthurs whereabouts to come forward. His arrest will be his 12th with CPD.

Contact Det. Beard in CPD’s Burglary Unit at 645-2077 or bbeard@columbuspolice.org.

If you know where Paul Arthurs is please contact the police ASAP and lets help out our fellow Buckeye.