Ohio State: School Pins Blame On Former Coach O’Brien

Buckeyes Argue Against Penalties: In the school’s formal (1,700 page) response to the NCAA, Ohio State argued that the school shouldn’t be held liable for some of the violations former head coach Jim O’Brien committed. The school pointed to O’Brien as the guilty culprit, as he hid violations from the school during its internal investigation. In June 2004, the school fired O’Brien after it was revealed that he gave over $6,000 to recruit Aleksandar Radojevic, and that he and former assistant Paul Biancardi arranged to have player grades altered. Biancardi, now the ead coach at Wright State, has denied any wrongdoing. Last season, Ohio State self-penalized the men’s basketball team by removing itself from the postseason, and announced that the team would have two fewer scholarships than the NCAA maximum of 13 for 2005-06. The NCAA will announce its findings on December 9th. [8/25/05]