A pair of off-the-field incidents, nagging injuries and minimal playing time resulted in a head-shaking season for Ohio State running back Jaamal Berry.
According to one report, it could be his last with the Buckeyes.
The Columbus Dispatch writes that while Berry is currently on scholarship, his attorney and high school coach say Berry is no longer part of the football team.
“From the conversation he had with the coaches, it didn’t appear that they were excited about him being (there),” said Berry’s former coach at Palmetto (Fla.) HS Larry Coffey. “He took the lead from that, and his thought process was that it was maybe time for him to go in another direction.”
Robert Tobias, assistant city prosecutor assigned to Berry’s case, agreed.
“My understanding is that … (Berry’s) desire would be to transfer somewhere else and so he could potentially get playing time. Whether he goes back to Florida or whether he goes somewhere else to go to school, I don’t know,” Tobias said. “It was told to me by the defense attorney that he was not on the team anymore and that he had a desire to relocate for school somewhere else out of state.”
Additionally, an Ohio State spokesperson said Berry has not worked out with the team since being suspended in November after getting slapped with a pair of misdemeanor charges (assault, disorderly conduct) stemming from an on-campus incident in late October. It was the second time within a month that Berry was involved in an off-the-field scuffle, the other being a bizarre “wrestling” incident that resulted in Berry being hospitalized last September.
Berry is currently going through pre-trial steps for the October case.
If Berry is indeed off the team, the possibility remains that he can finish up the school year at Ohio State -- he’s currently taking classes in winter quarter -- and then transfer. Berry did not comment to the Dispatch about the rumors of his status with the Buckeyes.
A four-star recruit in Ohio State’s 2009 class, Berry had just three carries for five yards this past year.