CHICAGO — Joshua Perry sifted through his suit pocket, searching for his cell phone. He had a story to tell. Well, actually, a story to clear up about a candidate in the Ohio State quarterback battle, the one who led the Buckeyes to the national championship, Cardale Jones.
"Here's the thing: Cardale, he's not what you guys think he is. We were on the red carpet and Ronda Rousey was right there," the outside linebacker said Thursday at Big Ten Media Days. "I'll put out my phone, I got a selfie with her. Cardale didn't."
Joshua Perry with "bae," aka @RondaRousey in LA. Said Cardale Jones didn't get a selfie with her: "He has no game." pic.twitter.com/vr4Z0Y0bg1
— Eric Seger (@EricSeger33) July 30, 2015
Perry showed all media members surrounding his podium the photo of he and the world's top female MMA star — or "bae," as he called her — in Los Angeles July 15, at the ESPYs. He gleaned a huge smile and tossed out a light chuckle, as if he had been waiting to add a chapter to the fascinating novel on the man known as 12-Gauge for quite some time.
"He was standing right next to me, but he wanted to get on Twitter and start (mentioning) her and stuff," Perry said. "I don't know why he just didn't say anything. He could have said something right there."
Jones shot his shot at Rousey a few weeks ago, doing so while sitting in the same room as some of the biggest sports celebrities in the world at the ESPYs.
Is it weird that I have a crush on @RondaRousey and scared of her at the same time
— Cardale Jones (@CJ12_) July 16, 2015
Soooooooo @RondaRousey what you doing after the show?
— Cardale Jones (@CJ12_) July 16, 2015
@RondaRousey but if you already talking to a UFC fighter I'm cool
— Cardale Jones (@CJ12_) July 16, 2015
It took Rousey a day to realize what was going on, but she took the time out of her workout-filled afternoon to respond to Jones' "sweet tweets" and post a video to Twitter.
It was another example of the quarterback's complete and utter willingness to say and do pretty much whatever pops into his brain, but Perry was there Thursday to iron things out.
"He doesn't have game," Perry said. "That's what I'm trying to say."
Jones is a bit of a jokester, possessing a buffoon-like personality while clearly enjoying life as an Ohio State football player and college student.
He puts whatever is on his mind on social media, whenever it is on his mind. A fine line to toe for anyone, especially the guy who stepped in for an injured J.T. Barrett to win the three biggest games of the season for Ohio State in 2014.
"I got my own theory on this Twitter stuff: I have debates about getting rid of it (among the players)," Urban Meyer said Thursday. "I tell people the story about Cardale. I just got hammered — people are just texting me, 'Cardale met a very beautiful young lady out at the ESPN, ESPYs thing.’ The fighter.
He continued: "I met her, too. She's stunning. Someone said he was tweeting nice things about her. What, do you want me to rip him for that? It's all good with me. I'd probably do the same at that age."
Twitter obviously wasn't around when Meyer was in college, but his point was simple: As long as it's nothing too obscene or brash, let players be themselves. Perry agreed with his head coach, citing how "that's just Cardale."
"Cardale is Cardale so he still has those moments where he does Cardale Jones-like things," Perry said. "It is what it is, but to just to see how far he's come, we're really proud of that."
Perry and Jones came to Ohio State as two pieces of the 2012 recruiting class, so the linebacker's seen how the man blessed with a 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame a rocket right arm has grown since he's been in Columbus.
"I came in with him and he was 'Cardale was a goofball.' A lot of things weren't serious. Nothing was too urgent for him," Perry said. "Then you see the growth and he's thrown into a position where he needs to make plays for us to be successful and he does it."
That's why Jones tweeting at a superstar like Rousey and even television personality Kendall Jenner doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone inside the program.
"If it's disrespectful we nail it immediately," Meyer said. "If they're a 19-year-old man being a 19-year-old man, I got enough things to worry about and that's not one of them. We do watch it, though."
Perry does too, which is why he cleared the air Thursday.
"I want you guys to tell him I'm saying this right there. That's the kind of guy he is," Perry said. "He's going to get on Twitter and do it instead of (actually talking to them)."
