Chase Young will be suspended for one more game, but he'll be back for Ohio State's showdown with Penn State.
The NCAA concluded its review of Ohio State's reinstatement request for Young on Wednesday, and determined that Young should be withheld from playing in one more game for returning to competition, according to a statement from Ohio State. As a result, Young's suspension will officially last two games, which means he will miss this week's game at Rutgers after sitting out the Buckeyes' last game against Maryland, but will be eligible to return for Ohio State's next game against Penn State.
“I want to thank and express my sincere gratitude to university staff members who worked so diligently and expertly to learn and understand the facts, and then to report these facts to the NCAA as part of our request to have Chase reinstated,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement. “This is the example of the culture of compliance we have at Ohio State.
“I also want to commend Chase Young and let him know how proud we are of him. He took responsibility for his actions, cooperated throughout the process and understood and accepted that there would be consequences. He’s a team captain and a leader and most importantly, a Buckeye. He wanted nothing more than an opportunity to play again and we’re pleased that he’ll get that chance.”
Ohio State had requested immediate reinstatement for Young in its formal report to the NCAA, but the NCAA ultimately decided that Young should be suspended for one more game.
“I appreciate the expediency to which the NCAA reviewed and responded to our request for reinstatement,” Smith said. “We felt that based on the circumstances, the NCAA would use its leadership capacity to take an understanding approach on behalf of all student-athletes who find themselves in a similar position, and it certainly did just that.”
Excited to be back on the field next week! Thank you Buckeye Nation for all the love and support. Im blessed to be a part of this team, this university, and this community. Lots of love to my family. God Bless and Go Bucks!
— CY2 (@youngchase907) November 13, 2019
Young's suspension comes after he accepted an impermissible loan last year from what Young described as a “family friend” who he had known since the summer before his freshman year at Ohio State. Although he repaid the loan in full, the loan was still considered to be an extra benefit by NCAA rules.
As a result, Young misses a pair of November conference games for the Buckeyes, which might be enough to prevent him from making a legitimate run at the Heisman Trophy. More importantly, though, he'll be back for the Buckeyes' biggest games of the season and still has the chance to have one of the greatest individual seasons in Ohio State history.
With 13.5 sacks this season, Young is just a half-sack away from breaking Vernon Gholston's single-season school record for sacks, and with a strong finish to the season, he should still be in position to earn All-American honors and contend for national defensive player of the year awards.
The Buckeyes don't need Young to beat Rutgers this week, given that they are favored to beat the Scarlet Knights by more than 50 points, but his return could be crucial for Ohio State's efforts to continue winning in its final two regular-season games against Penn State and Michigan and in the postseason, which could potentially include berths in the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff.
Smith will meet with the media at 5:30 to "address some of the processes involved regarding our reinstatement request."
