Cardale Jones enjoyed himself plenty this summer, riding the high of leading Ohio State to post-season victories over Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon. He earned an invitation to the ESPYs and a nomination for Best Breakthrough Athlete, gave back to the community in Sandusky at request of high school coach Ted Ginn Sr. and his current coach, Urban Meyer, and tweeted at a slew of celebrities.
As it turns out, though, there's one invitation Jones should have turned down.
Via The Lantern, Jones took in Cleveland Browns defensive back Joe Haden's celebrity softball game June 6 without written documentation of approval from Ohio State, a secondary NCAA violation. It is one of 29 self-reported violations by the school from February through September.
From the report:
In one case, an OSU football player was told that he was neither permitted to participate in nor attend the Joe Haden Celebrity Charity Softball game in Cleveland on June 6. However, on the morning of the event he called his position coach and was told he could attend the event but not participate.
Because the school had not provided written approval to attend, a violation had occurred. An OSU spokesman could not confirm the identity of the player, but redshirt junior quarterback Cardale Jones was documented to have attended the game.
In response to the violation, a letter of education was provided to all football coaches and staff emphasizing the rules regarding promotional activities, as well as reviewed with football student-athletes.
Jones' eligibility was obviously not affected by Ohio State's self-reported error, but as has been reported here and elsewhere, star quarterback turned H-back Braxton Miller's was in question for his association with the nutritional supplement company AdvoCare after he posted a photo promoting it from his Instagram account.
In another violation involving a member of the football team, redshirt senior quarterback-turned-H-back Braxton Miller posted a picture to his Instagram account on March 24 that showcased the nutritional supplement AdvoCare. The OSU Compliance Office became aware of the violation and told Miller to delete the post. Miller was declared immediately ineligible but was reinstated by the NCAA on April 11.
Ohio State released a statement April 9 depicting the NCAA's review of Miller's involvement with AdvoCare, determining the case closed.
"The NCAA has determined that Braxton Miller’s Instagram post on March 24, 2015, was deemed to be a promotion of a commercial product," the statement said. "The Ohio State University Department of Athletics reported the incident to the NCAA, and the NCAA has reinstated Braxton’s eligibility without any conditions. This was considered a minor violation and the matter is now closed."
Six of the 29 self-reported violations stem from the football program, more than any other of Ohio State's 36 varsity sports, according to the report. There was one regarding the men's basketball program and its trip to the Bahamas, involving a player's eligibility.
The player had not yet received academic certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center due to complications from receiving his high school transcript, as he had attended two schools.
He was certified on Oct. 3, 2014, but his 45-day temporary certification period had already been triggered by participating in extra practices allowed by the foreign tour. As a result, he had participated in five practices after the 45-day period expired and received financial aid prior to the certification.
As a result, the player was withheld from six practices, and OSU had to pay $500 for each exhibition game he participated in.
Star guard D'Angelo Russell, drafted second overall in June's NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, reportedly had to wait for his score on a standardized test to clear the NCAA Clearinghouse before he could enroll at the school for summer classes.
A PDF of Ohio State's other violations from The Lantern's report can be seen here.
