Youngstown State Football: Bo Pelini defends Ma’lik Richmond decision
By Phil Poling
It’s not often you hear about Youngstown State football, but lately they’ve been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
A student at Youngstown State University has taken matters into her own hands and started a petition to remove Ma’lik Richmond from the Penguins’ football team.
In 2012, Richmond was involved in the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case that gained national attention. Following his conviction, he served one year in a juvenile detention center and was released in January of 2014; he played high school football that fall for Steubenville Big Red.
The petition — which can be found here — questions university president Jim Tressel’s and head football coach Bo Pelini’s judgement, asking, “What does this say about rape culture? That athletes can do no wrong; that they can get away with anything because of how they perform on the field or in the gym?”
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Bo Pelini’s spent the last few days defending his decision, explaining to WFMJ in Youngstown, “I gave him some stipulations and some things he had to be able to do and if he lived up to them he’d be able to come out and see if he could be a member of our football team. He did those things and continues to do those things right now and he’s done a nice job for us.”
Richmond enrolled at YSU last August before walking on to the football team in January. He plays along the defensive line, but is expected to be a reserve on the unit — if he stays on the team.
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Pelini is no stranger to controversy, though. If anything, he brings it upon himself. In 2013, Deadspin got their hands on leaked audio from a 2011 come-from-behind win against Ohio State (while Pelini was head coach at Nebraska). The audio caught Pelini berating the Cornhusker fans for leaving the game early. (Don’t ever leave games early, folks.)
Another slip-up came during a halftime interview following a couple turnovers. When asked about them, Pelini responded, “What kind of question is that?” Also during that season, he’d garner unnecessary attention from the officials for acting out, resulting in a number of unsportsmanlike conduct calls.
After being fired from Nebraska in 2014, Pelini spoke with his former players and took unwarranted shots at the university’s athletic director. The audio of this meeting would also leak, only reassuring the administration’s decision to part ways.
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According to the Vindicator, Pelini sought out Richmond’s services upon hearing he was enrolled at Youngstown State. According to reports, Richmond didn’t plan on continuing his football career post-high school. He spent time at Potomac State College in West Virginia — who doesn’t even field a football team — and California (Pa.) University. The Youngstown State Penguins open the 2017 football season against the Pitt Panthers on Saturday, Sept. 2.