Today after practice Coach Meyer talked to the media and discussed several players situations. He made it clear that Blake Thomas, Adam Griffin, and Jamie Woods careers are over. Also discussed some of the players who will be suspended. He went into some depth chart issues and talked about the freshman…

In what seems to have become an epidemic at this point it seems a 3rd Buckeye this week has had their career as a Buckeye football player come to an end. Earlier this week we reported that Adam Griffin and Jamie Wood have had career ending injuries.

Now news is starting to come out that Blake Thomas a Redshirt Freshman from Cleveland, Ohio has also had his career end due to serious Stinger issues and a real threat of paralysis.

After rumors came to light on our friends over at Eleven Warriors Blake Thomas father made a statement on their thread and here is what he had to say…

Unfortunately this is true. Blake has had several severe ‘stingers’ over the past year and when we had a thorough MRI and some other tests done after last Saturdays scrimmage – in which he played very well I might add – they revealed a condition in his neck that is causing nerve damage. With every hit he risks the chance of paralysis in one or both arms. The doctors on the OSU staff – who are absolutely outstanding – told Blake that they could not let him continue due to the high risk. He was/is devastated. He loves his teammates, coaches and OSU. Although he won’t be on the field he will be with his teammates in spirit. Go Bucs!

Obviously this is more sad and unfortunate news and we at MotSaG wish nothing but the best for Blake and his family as they deal with this injury and he gets healthy. Hopefully he will be able to play again but if not this kid will always be a Buckeye.

Good Morning Buckeye Nation.

Bonjour Columbus Dispatch has a report former Buckeye basketball star Deshaun Thomas will be playing overseas for France next season. Thomas who was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round this last draft wasn’t guaranteed to make the Spurs roster this next season.

“I needed to make a decision,” Thomas said. “In this business, you have to think about family (Thomas has a 17-month-old son). I still could have gone to (training camp) and tried to make the roster, but with my son and a family to provide for, I had to look at that. And developing a year ain’t going to hurt.
“It was kind of tough, because I wanted to make the roster. But if training camp didn’t go well, I’d probably be in the (NBA Development) League, and when you go in the D-League you need another part-time job.”

It was sad to see Deshaun leave the Buckeyes early from a selfish fans point of view but I understand he has to think of his family and I hope his hard work will pay off and we will see him in the NBA very soon. Buckeye Nation is behind you and can’t wait to see you light up the Association.

Challenge Accepted: The Big Ten has announced the times and dates of the 15th annual B1G/ACC Challenge. Ohio State will face Maryland on December 4th at Value City Arena at 7pm.

I can’t believe that the B1G/ACC Challenge actually has the Buckeyes playing the Terps. Why wouldn’t you take Maryland out of this challenge based on them joining the B1G next season and putting Wake Forest in there? I understand they are still currently in the ACC but it just feels weird to me.

Grappling Schedule: The Buckeyes wrestling team has announced the schedule for the 2013-2014 season.

“The schedule this year will challenge and prepare our student-athletes for the brutality of the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments,” Tom Ryan, who is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Buckeyes, said. “We are also proud to bring the National Duals to Columbus for the excitement of the many die-hard wrestling fans in this great wrestling state. We look forward to many great home crowds this season as we were third nationally in home attendance the past two years.”

I’m not going to break down the schedule today, I’m sure our man wrestling guru Garth will be breaking this all down for all of our enjoyment. I can’t match his wrestling intellect so I’m excited to read what he will have for us.

Defeating the U: The Buckeyes women’s soccer team had an exhibition match against Miami last night in Columbus. Freshman forward Nichelle Prince scored the lone goal in the 14th minute to help lead Ohio State in their victory. Prince is one of eight players to hit the field in the Scarlet and Gray for the first time.

The Lady Buckeyes will open the season this next Friday August 23rd at 7pm in Columbus at the Jesse Owens Memorial Field versus Morehead State. Even though last night was just an exhibition beating the U is a great thing just like the football team did in 2002 for a National Championship. Ohio State is currently ranked 23rd in the preseason ranking and should be another exciting year.

Buckeye Back home: Ohio State’s synchronized swim team announced Liz Derr as a volunteer assistant for 2014. Derr who was the head coach at the University of Minnesota synchronized swim team from 2010-2013 returns back to the Buckeyes where she helped the Gray team in the Top 3 twice in the U.S. Collegiate National Championships.

It’s always good to see former Buckeyes come back home and being a part of Buckeye Nation and helping them become greater. Welcome back Liz glad to have you here.

State Park Runners: The Buckeye long distance runners spent 3 days in Hocking Hills State Park getting themselves in shape for the season getting ready to start.

“This was a great way for us to begin our preparations for the upcoming cross country season,” said Brice Allen, associate head coach for Ohio State men’s track and field. “We will get back at it again tomorrow and start up again with two-a-days on Monday.”

I miss the days of being able to run and enjoying beautiful sites like the ones the cross country teams get to enjoy.

All-American: National Collegiate Writers have picked a Buckeye as an All-American. Sophomore right hander Trace Dempsey was picked for the honor. Dempsey who went 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA with 17 saves in 32 appearances this last season.

Is it me or does All-American and Buckeye seem to go hand and hand. Always great to see Ohio State athletes earning this honor congrates to Trace Dempsey.

Sad Fan: A buddy of mine who is a Michigan fan thought it would be funny to send me this.

I asked him if he was mad cause Michigan grads weren’t smart enough to even work at McD’s!! (Still awaiting his answer)

Until Next time Buckeye Nation…

The news about the arrest of Bradley Roby last came as a shock and scary moment for Buckeye fans and the team I am sure. His case has been quiet in the past few weeks until today. When news came out about the charges being reduced and possible end in sight.

Late tonight word from Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch has come out that the entire incident has been caught on tape.

Here is a few snippets from the story…

Video of an incident outside a Bloomington, Ind., bar involving Ohio State’s Bradley Roby appears to be instrumental in the Monroe County prosecutor’s decision earlier today to offer a diversion program that could result in the case against the cornerback being dismissed.

The Dispatch tonight obtained a supplemental police report, which is based on a police officer’s description of the video. That report contradicts the description in the original police report that caused Roby to be charged with misdemeanor battery and portrays Roby as more victim than perpetrator.

also…

Sources indicate that the prosecutor’s office did not receive the video until this week. The office downgraded the charge yesterday morning to disorderly conduct, a class B misdemeanor. Battery is a class A misdemeanor.

This afternoon, the prosecutor’s officer announced the offer of a diversion program. There is no word whether Roby would accept that program, though a deputy prosecutor said a receipt had been posted of payment for it.

and this is what the video shows…

The video appears to be the cause for the change. Officer Jordan Hasler, the second police officer to arrive at the scene, wrote in the supplemental report that he was shown video by the bar manager. Hasler wrote that the video showed Dunnkirk employees carrying Roby down stairs and out of the bar in what appeared to be a shoulder lock while grabbing his legs and lower torso.

Outside the bar, Hasler wrote, video showed Roby being pushed three times by the bar’s security guards, the third time resulting in Roby being driven back 2-3 feet.

After that, the report states, Roby “lunged” at one of the security guards, who handcuffed Roby.

The first police officer on the scene, Ryan McClain, had asked Dunnkirk personnel if there were video of the incident and was told there wasn’t. Why Hasler was shown the video after McClain was told it did not exist is not clear.
McClain’s original police report was based on eyewitness accounts that portrayed Roby as the aggressor.

That version of events alleged that Roby was removed from the bar and told not to return. When he attempted to walk back in and was stopped by the bar’s security detail, he hit one of the men, Jonathan King, in the chest and ripped King’s shirt, according to the report.

That caused McClain to arrest Roby and charge him with battery. Roby told McClain that the security personnel shoved him multiple times and handcuffed him, causing pain to his wrists and lip and small cuts on his forehead and right arm.

You Can read the entire article at the Columbus Dispatch.

From this description you can garner that Roby will take Diversion which means all the charges will be dropped. He will face even less punishment than I thought earlier today in my opinion. This case should have never even been a case.

In what should come as no surprise to anyone the charges against Bradley Roby have been reduced from Battery to Disorderly Conduct. From the beginning the charges seemed over the top. Roby was accused of pushing a bouncer in the chest causing pain. Yes he was dumb and should have just left the bar when asked but the battery charge seemed over the top to me.

Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch had this to say on his twitter feed…

From the article…

The misdemeanor charge against Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby was changed today from battery, a class A misdemeanor, to disorderly conduct, a less serious charge.

Roby was arrested July 21 after an altercation outside a Bloomington, Ind, bar. Roby has not missed practice time, but the All-Big Ten player has taken reps with the second unit during training camp.

Coach Urban Meyer has said that he is awaiting all of the facts in the case before deciding what, if any, punishment he’ll give Roby. At the Big Ten media days, Meyer said that a suspension was likely.

The motion to amend was filed by Monroe County deputy prosecutor Christopher Pierce this morning. Disorderly conduct is a class B misdemeanor.

The pretrial conference remains scheduled for Aug. 26.

With this news you should expect Roby to plead guilty and most likely get some community service and a fine at worst. He will see some time cleaning Buckeye Grove and may miss 1 game IMO.

As we all know by now sports related injuries happen and sometimes they can end a career before it can even get started. Today we have word that two players careers are likely over due to injuries.

Per Ari Wasserman of Buckeye Sports Bulletin..

also from Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch..

Jamie Wood has suffered with injury issues for a while now and his career has been rumored to be over before. Adam Griffin is much more unexpected. He is a fan favorite and as a legacy of possibly the greatest Buckeye Family ever his loss will not go unnoticed. We wish the best for both these young men and a speedy recovery.

The cornerback position is a fan favorite on this football team, partially due to the amount of enthusiasm position coach Kerry Coombs exudes on a daily basis, and also due to the electric players that have traditionally been produced at this position from this program. Guys like Antoine Winfield, Malcom Jenkins, Shawn Springs, and Chris Gamble, have dawned the Scarlet and Grey at the cornerback position, and left the bar extremely high for future cornerbacks coming out of Ohio State. This may be the year we see another all time great corner, in Bradley Roby, join the Mount Rushmore of Ohio State Cornerbacks. Behind Roby, there are other young Buckeyes looking to make some noise this upcoming year and become a cornerstone for the 2013 Silver Bullets.

Last Year Performance
The cornerback position presented some promise entering last Spring. Buckeye fans knew that Travis Howard was an above average cornerback who, with a little more dedication and coaching, could be a strength of the OSU secondary. However, as Kerry Coombs took over the cornerback coaching, his guy was redshirt Sophomore Bradley Roby. “He’s big, and he’s fast, and he’s physical, and he’s intelligent and he’s got great change of direction,” Coombs said. “His transition is outstanding. And if Bradley’s not a first-round draft pick down the road, that would be a shame.”

As we all know, Roby did not disappoint in his 2012 campaign, as he lead the nation in passes broken up, and became an All-American corner. Howard was no stiff either, as he worked past his early season troubles to become a solid corner for the 2012 Buckeyes. Overall I would give the cornerbacks a solid B from last year. They did not force as many turnovers as Coach Coombs, and Buckeye fans, would have liked, but they were a sure strength for the defense.

Starters Lost
Travis Howard- 2012 Stats- 39 tackles, 4 interceptions

Player to Watch
Bradley Roby- As predictable as this is, it is hard not to mention and watch Roby. The guy is an electric play-maker on the defensive side of the ball. He is good in run support, good in zone coverage, and excels in man coverage. He also enjoys running his mouth off to TTUN players, and dominating them as well. I expect Roby to become more of a ball-hawk this year and a complete shutdown corner. Look for Roby to turn some of those pass break ups from last year, into interceptions this year. I also think Buckeye fans should expect Roby to lead the youth we have at this position. Even with his off the field issues, the greatest teacher for youth is experience, and Roby has his fair share of that on and off the field, that he can share with the rest of this group. Judging from his role as player coach this spring, I think Coombs and Meyer trust Roby, and will give him a leadership role that will carry much more significance this year.

Player that Needs to Step Up
Doran Grant- Grant is a relatively unknown Buckeye. He was neck and neck with Travis Howard going in to fall camp last year, as a freshman, until Howard beat him out. However, Grant was a key contributor on Special Teams last year. When he earned time on the field at corner he recorded a sack, interception, and forced fumble, so he does have a niche for finding the football. Grant is 5’11, 190 pounds which will help him match up physically against any receiver he faces. Grant was also tied for second, with Braxton Miller, and behind 1st place Bradley Roby, in the fastest 40 time on the team registering a 4.32. Grant has all of the physical attributes, and talent to fill the void Howard left behind. However, he will need to improve his knowledge of the position, along with his technique, in order to become the second shut down corner of the Buckeye defense. He may be young but welcome to life of being an Ohio State Buckeye, it is either step up or move on, there is little to no time for wait and see.

Sleeper Pick
Armani Reeves- Reeves was a vital member of the “Piranhas” on Special Teams last year, and when he went down with an injury it was very noticeable. Reeves is a very good tackler, that also possesses good coverage skills. I expect him to be a very solid #3 corner in the Buckeyes rotation, but I would not be surprised if he challenges Grant for a starting role this Fall. Reeves will need to improve his consistency, and soak in all the coaching and experience he can get. He was able to gain some first team snaps this spring, as Roby sat out, and looked pretty good filling in. If Reeves can step in, be a solid corner, and occasionally flash the ball hawk ability he has shown on Special Teams, this defensive secondary will be lethal.

Prediction of Performance
This group is very inexperienced at playing corner. Most of these guys played on Special Teams last year and contributed immensely. However, I think there will be a lot of growing pains with the number two and three corners, that they will have to go through in order to become consistent contributors. They have the speed, instinct, and talent to become good corners, but there is so much inexperience at this position, that I think it is going to take a great coaching job, from Coach Coombs, to get these guys playing, and understanding, the complex coverage’s they will be asked to play. One side of the field is accounted for with Roby, as long as he keeps his head on straight and stays hungry. While Doran Grant may have a firm strong hold on the second corner spot, his experience starting at the position is little to none. It may take him a few games to get acclimated to being the other guy. However, he will get thrown to a lot due to how talented Roby is, so I’m pretty confident he will grow throughout the year. Whoever plays the number three cornerback, whether it is Armani Reeves, Eli Apple, or Gareon Conley, will be a sophomore or freshman. At the end of the year, I expect this position from one to six to be a major strength for this defense due to the upside of all of these players, and how great of a coach Kerry Coombs is.

Depth Chart (starters in italics)
Boundary Corner–Bradley Roby, Armani Reeves or Gareon Conley
Field Corner– Doran Grant, Eli Apple

(Image courtesy of HoneyChild Photography)