Former Ohio State defensive lineman Tracy Sprinkle was arrested (and subsequently suspended from the team) earlier this month after a barroom brawl at Lorain's Grown and Sexy Lounge.
After Sprinkle had been arrested, cocaine was discovered in the police car in which Sprinkle was held, which led to a possession of cocaine charge. The police, however, admitted another person had been held in the same cruiser before Sprinkle.
Sprinkle's lawyer apparently used that leverage in plea deal negotiations.
#OSU football player Tracy #Sprinkle pleads no contest to attempted failure to comply w/police order for Lorain Bar brawl. Gets probation
— Brad Dicken (@BradDickenCT) July 31, 2014
According to the Chronicle-Telegram, "Sprinkle was fined $500, given a 30-day suspended jail and two years of probation. He also must participate in several education and community service programs."
His attorney, Michael Duff, had his client's "blood, urine and hair tested for drugs after he was released from jail and the results were all negative."
More from the report:
"Prosecutor Barry Motsch said the results of those tests and conversations with the police officers involved in the incident led to the reduced charges that comprised the plea agreement.
He said Sprinkle hadn’t been causing problems for officers who had been called to the scene of the melee outside the bar. Motsch said several people appeared to want to fight Sprinkle and he had disobeyed several orders from police to leave the scene."
“I learned a lot of lessons from being in this situation,” he said Thursday in court, according to the Chronicle-Telegram.
There are worse charges than failure to comply, and while Urban Meyer stated at Big Ten media days Sprinkle had been severed from the team, he'd reexamine Sprinkle's status if new facts arose.
Neither Duff nor Ohio State immediately responded to request for comment.
