Just last week, J.T. Barrett was handed back the keys to Ohio State’s offense. With the Buckeyes on a bye this weekend, he could have those keys ripped away -- like they apparently should’ve been earlier today in real life.
According to the OSU-centric website elevenwarriors.com, Barrett was arrested just north of the Columbus campus Saturday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The quarterback first attempted to evade a sobriety checkpoint before he was pulled over and ultimately registered what the site described as being “slightly over” Ohio’s legal limit of .08.
In an ironic twist, the player who Barrett replaced under center, Cardale Jones, was the one to whom Barrett was released and gave a ride home.
OSU has yet to publicly acknowledge the situation or what it means for Barrett moving forward. There are already reports, however, that Barrett, because he is under the legal drinking age of 21, could be facing a two-game suspension.
According to Ohio State policy, J.T. Barrett is facing a two-game suspension for his reported arrest. pic.twitter.com/cpYBngRgwk
— Austin Ward (@AWardSports) October 31, 2015
Jones led the Buckeyes through the first seven games of the season, but the offense never really clicked the way it did in 2014 in the run to the national championship. Barrett took over in the middle of the Week 7 win over Maryland, then started against Rutgers for the first time this season the following week, and the 2015 Buckeyes offense finally looked like the 2014 version.
Given this development, Urban Meyer may have no choice but to entrust the offense back to Jones for not only the next couple of games but for the remainder of the season as well.
UPDATED 9:43 a.m. ET: Very shortly after this was posted, Ohio State released a statement through Twitter announcing that Meyer has suspended Barrett for OSU’s next game, Nov. 7 against Minnesota.
STATEMENT: Student-athlete J.T. Barrett was cited by Columbus police Saturday a.m. at a check point w/ a misdemeanor offense of OVI.
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 31, 2015
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CONT STATEMENT: Barrett has been suspended by head coach Urban Meyer from playing in Ohio State’s game against Minnesota on Nov. 7.
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 31, 2015
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