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Football
NCAA Reinstates Players, OSU Investigation Ongoing
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The NCAA has reinstated Ohio State student-athletes Jordan Hall, Travis Howard and Corey Brown for this weekend’s game at Miami (Fla.), but their investigation into the University is still ongoing.

Jordan Hall
Photo by Jim Davidson

“The university appreciates the NCAA’s expeditious response in reinstating these three student athletes,” said Gene Smith, Ohio State Director of Athletics.

Hall, Howard and Brown missed the first two games of the season for committing NCAA violations when the accepted $200 at a charity event in Cleveland. The three players will have to repay that money to charity before they are eligible to compete in this weekend’s game.

The violations occurred back in February, when the players accepted $200 cash in envelopes from someone that has now been identified by the university as a booster.

“According to the facts submitted by the university, the money was provided by a university booster,” the NCAA said in its release.

According to that release, the reinstatement staff investigated the incident and determined that the nature and scope of the violations—particularly the provision of cash benefits by a booster—merited a two game suspension.

Hall and Howard were expected to be starters before the suspensions came down just days before the season-opener against Akron.

Ohio State Head Coach Luke Fickell and his staff reported that the players would be available to rejoin the team last week prior to the Toledo game. The team found out Friday evening that the NCAA had not reinstated the players for week two.

With the reinstatement, it remains unlikely that Fickell will start any of the three players against Miami. Sophomore Carlos Hyde has moved into the starting lineup at tailback and Dominic Clarke has done an exceptional job filling in for Howard.

According to the NCAA, the decision to reinstate these players is independent of the NCAA enforcement process and the investigation into the Ohio State University is ongoing.

Read more about the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement process at ncaa.org.

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