Buckeyes Appeal O’Brien Decision: Ohio State filed an appeal in a bid to overturn a judge’s decision to award former coach Jim O’Brien $2.4 million. The Ohio Court of Claims ruled last month that Ohio State improperly fired O’Brien in 2004 after learning that he had given $6,000 to a recruit. The judge said that O’Brien broke NCAA bylaws, but the university did not follow the terms of O’Brien’s contract when the school fired him. No payment will be made by the university while the case remains in the courts. The appeal process could take as long as a year. No court date is set for the appeal. [9/16/06]