We now have a side story to the main storyline heading into the Big Ten championship game.
In the third quarter of the latest installment of The Game, J.T. Barrett went down with a knee injury that the FOX announcing crew ultimately stated was a meniscus issue with which the quarterback had been dealing. While Ohio State was able to weather that injury and beat rival Michigan, the fifth-year senior’s availability for the conference title game next Saturday in Indianapolis against Wisconsin is up in the air.
It was in Urban Meyer‘s postgame press conference, however, where the real fireworks started.
Various media outlets described the OSU head coach as “livid” and “pissed” over the injury, which Meyer stated was caused by a cameraman during pregame warmups Saturday. Meyer was so angry, in fact, that he called for an “all-out investigation” into the incident, presumably by the Big Ten.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said J.T. Barrett was injured by a camera on the sideline. “Too many damn people on the sideline. I’m so angry right now.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 25, 2017
Urban Meyer is livid about the J.T. Barrett injury. Said it was non-football and he was injured by a cameraman. pic.twitter.com/tOxTL2JMLc
— Austin Ward (@AWardSports) November 25, 2017
While Meyer is pissed and one media outlet labeled the action that led to Barrett’s injury as malicious...
I spoke with someone who saw what happened with JT Barrett. They viewed what happened with JT as malicious, not accidental.
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) November 25, 2017
Just one account. FWIW. #Buckeyes @FOX19
... Barrett himself stated he does not believe someone was maliciously trying to hurt him. Barrett, who stated that he will be playing next weekend despite the injury, also gave his account of how he was injured.
Barrett explains injury pic.twitter.com/l9G5nfqC6a
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) November 25, 2017