What is the NCAA doing to Chase Young?

Nov 8

What is the NCAA doing to Chase Young?

Ohio State Junior Defensive End, Chase Young is hands down the best player in college football currently. He was a potential Heisman front runner and believed to be the first player selected in the 2020 draft, but upon news of Chase Young violating an NCAA eligibility policy, he has been suspended for the upcoming game against Maryland. With Young being one of the biggest names in college football, a Heisman front runner, and one of the most polarizing teams in the country, this news comes at the most inopportune time for not only Young, but for the entire team as well.

In a Tweet on early Friday morning from Young, he states, “Unfortunately, I won't be playing this week because of an NCAA eligibility issue. I made a mistake last year by accepting a loan from a family friend I've known since the summer before my freshman year at OSU."

Although the suspension is generally involving loan payments, weeks after NCAA passed legislation to allow athletes to profit from their likeness, this news seems extremely ironic and targeted.

Chase Young has been in the news for the entire season as his dominance has been shown more each game that he plays in. In 8 games this season, he has tallied 13.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. While these numbers are elite, his non-statistical impact on games are even more elite. As a defensive leader for Ohio State, he has helped Ohio State remain a leading candidate for the College Football Playoff. With Young being suspended now, the Ohio State locker room and fan base are surely scratching their heads and displaying their discontent through a flurry of tweets.

While the fans are definitely upset, Chase Young is surely more upset because although he had admitted to his violation, the NCAA obviously utilized the timing of the investigation to affect Ohio State on a larger scale. When athletes are sanctioned for non-criminal offenses, it almost seems as if they are being used as pawns and punished for issues that have much larger implications than an athlete accepting money.

There are many speculations that I could make about the timing of Chase Young’s suspension, many of which includes a National Title race that doesn’t include Ohio State. Maybe it could simply be an NCAA crackdown on college athletes. However, if it was some type of “crackdown” on players accepting money, I am completely sure that there would have been more reported incidents.

Simply because of Chase Young’s status as one of the most legitimate defensive Heisman candidates since Tyrann Mathieu and the 1st Overall Pick front runner, he is an obvious target. Ohio State will face Maryland this weekend who is no slouch, but they should not give Ohio State too many issues. This is not a game that Ohio State would necessarily need Chase Young, but if this suspension more than a game and proves to be indefinite, then Chase Young will have no choice than to begin his preparation for the 2020 draft.

As for Ohio State, going undefeated without Chase Young will be tough as they still have Penn State remaining on the schedule, but sitting Chase Young will be in the best interest of the program to avoid larger school sanctions. As for the duration of the suspension, it is yet to be determined, but we will keep a closer eye on the situation at Ohio State figures out its future with or without Chase Young. But one thing does not change, Chase Young continues to be the front runner for the 2020 NFL Draft.

I also have one remaining question: If college athletes are sanctioned for accepting and paying back a loan, then how are college athletes able to cover costs when their scholarship does not pay for extra expenses and their schedule does not permit an off-campus job?

-By: LeMarkus Bailey