Ohio State football: Chase Young is Exhibit A for why NCAA should pay players

Ohio State football star Chase Young is facing an indefinite suspension following an investigation into a potential undisclosed NCAA violation.

Fresh off his best individual on-field performance and Ohio State landing the No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff, the Buckeye’s star defensive end Chase Young is facing a suspension for taking a loan in 2018 from a family friend. He’s amassed 13.5 sacks this season, 15.5 tackles-for-loss and five forced fumbles. He’s also a Heisman Trophy front-runner.

The potential No. 1 overall pick said in a statement via his Twitter account on Friday, “Unfortunately, I won’t be playing this week [vs. Maryland] 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.” Young also said he repaid the loan.

Due to NCAA rules, college athletes aren’t allowed to receive money – from coaches, boosters, agents, etc. In addition to Young missing the Maryland game, this potential violation could result in Ohio State vacating wins, as well. Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports claims since Young accepted the loan from a “family friend,” he made the issue more complex; he’ll need to prove there was a pre-existing relationship with said-loaner that had nothing to do with athletics. If he can’t, the vacation of wins could be on the table.

Should this even be an issue, though? Has Chase Young dampened viewership because he took a loan nobody knew about last year until today? If there are more instances of him taking money that go further back than simply 2018 — his sophomore year in Columbus — then maybe Ohio State engaged in some funny business to get him in the scarlet and gray, but that’s not what we’re dealing with here. Is the timing here odd for anybody else? A week after Ohio State came in at No. 1 in the CFP Rankings, this news breaks. I’m not saying he was set up, because Young admitted to it. But why are we learning of this now?

Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports and The Athletic spoke to an NCAA compliance expert who said, “If it is a loan he repaid and can prove it–one game suspension might be enough.”

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So he misses one game against an inferior opponent, although they’re all inferior to the Buckeyes this year, especially with No. 2 suiting up. How would that affect the College Football Playoff? Will the Buckeyes be knocked down a peg? Or will it be like the current Alabama situation with Tua Tagovailoa, who, if he doesn’t play against LSU this weekend, might not lose much respect if they falter because they were without arguable their most important player. But if Ohio State wins are potentially being vacated, surely it’ll toss a wrench in the rankings system.

If Young took a loan in 2018, and already repaid it, is it possible that it wasn’t for a boatload of money? He didn’t buy a brand new car, did he? Maybe he needed to help his family pay bills. Maybe he needed money for groceries. Even if he simply needed money to hang out with friends or go on a date, why is it a problem? Did this potential violation poison the game? Give the Buckeyes an unfair advantage? Who did it put in harms way?

If Young is suspended for the year, he’ll without a doubt enter the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s a virtual lock for a top three pick behind his 13.5 sack season thus far. Nick Bosa dealt with a similar situation last season, leaving the Buckeyes early following an injury. Could Young face a similar fate? He could step on an NFL field this Sunday and make an impact, so it’s not a question of if he’s ready. But if the NCAA decides to punish Young for taking a loan from a family friend a year ago, what will it do for this year’s product? The major cable networks are making a fortune off of production like his while he puts his body and mind through the gauntlet of a football season. Why’s it only OK for people in suits to make the money, instead of the players suiting up every weekend?

If Young misses time, it won’t hurt his draft stock. But it will impact his Heisman Trophy chances and the Buckeyes season at large. They play Maryland and Rutgers the next two weekends before squaring off with No. 5 Penn State and No. 14 Michigan.

Elite players choose schools like Ohio State to push them to the next level, but also to play those types of games. Penn State and Michigan are huge rivalries for the Buckeyes that build life-long memories and friendships. And he’s going to miss out on that because of some money he took a year ago, that we’re all just finding out about now?