The ongoing saga over Ohio State star defensive end Chase Young’s future wrote another chapter late on Friday night as the story continues to look more and more like it’s much ado about nothing unless you’re a fan of a certain maize and blue team or currently working in a downtown .
For those not up to speed, the Buckeyes announced that the Heisman Trophy candidate would not play against Maryland on Saturday after a potential NCAA eligibility question was brought up this week to the school. Young later issued a statement on the matter, with both him and his attorney confirming that the heart of the case stemmed from a small loan that was later paid back.
There were conflicting reports about who actually issued said loan, with some claiming it was an agent while the player insisted it was a family friend. Now we know what brought about the exchange in the first place and it was far from some of the nefarious things suggested on social media when the story first popped up.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, the small loan was used to pay for airfare for Young’s family so they could see him play in January’s Rose Bowl against Washington. That game, the aptly named Granddaddy of them All, does not qualify for either the NCAA or the College Football Playoff to pay for travel for families to the game, placing the burden on them if they want to make the trek out to Pasadena. It seems the Youngs, who hail from the Washington D.C. area, were fronted the money for the trip and then paid it back.
It remains to be seen just how hard the NCAA will hold this over the OSU pass rusher but similar cases typically result in a one or two game suspension after the money is repaid, depending on what the total amount is. If it is just a few hundred dollars, Young might well just miss the game against the Terps and return in time for the Nov. 16 date at Rutgers.
It’s not like the Buckeyes will need him in either contest so he might sit just to be safe in both but if the amount runs a tab in the thousands of dollars, the end could be at risk for missing the critical battles against Penn State or Michigan at the end of the month.
Either way, it seems like a resolution is likely coming down the pipe soon enough so Young, Ohio State and the NCAA all know where things stand before it could really impact the team’s current run between the lines.